Teen Mother
by Loss Of Hesitation
Summary: Vlad's attempt to erase Maddie's memories of Jack accidentally transform her into an 18 year old version of herself, and it's up to Danny to stop her from falling for Vlad and change her back before she's stuck as a teenager forever.
1. Chapter 1 Visiting Vlad

_Teen Mother_

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Danny Phantom or any of its characters. That honor goes to Butch Hartman, though I doubt it'd kill him to share Vlad for an hour or two. :3

**Summary**: While trying to wipe out Maddie's memories of Jack, Vlad accidentally causes her to transform into an eighteen-year-old version of herself before she went to college. Now Danny has to prevent his mother from falling for Vlad and find a way to change her back before she's stuck as a teenager forever!

This takes place soon after _Maternal Instinct_ and before _Reign Storm, _just to give you a timeline. :D

* * *

"I don't know about this, Jack." Maddie crossed her arms and sent her husband a concerned look.

"Nonsense, Maddie!" Jack bounded back into the room, a suitcase tucked under his arm. "This is the perfect opportunity to make amends with Vlad for the reunion!" He set the suitcase on the bed and opened it, speaking to Maddie over his shoulder as he proceeded to throw in a jumbled mass of jumpsuits and socks. "He's even sending a private jet for you and the kids."

"We can at least wait for you," insisted Maddie. She sounded hesitant.

Jack clicked the suitcase shut and seized his petit wife in a one-armed hug. "Aw, don't worry about me. I'll join you as soon as I finish maintenance on the ghost portal. You'll hardly even notice I'm gone!"

Maddie attempted a smile, but it the result was strained. "Well, if you're sure…"

"Of course I'm sure! After this week is over, you, me, and the V-man will be as close as we were in college, again."

"That's what I'm afraid of," muttered Maddie. She didn't have the heart to tell Jack about what had happened during her last encounter with "the V-man;" he would go mad with envy. But that didn't mean that she had forgiven Vlad for his behavior. His confession of love had been, admittedly, flattering, but the things he had subsequently said about Jack were simply deplorable. Maddie was in no way eager to see him again, especially not without Jack present. Jack, on the other hand, was determined to patch things up with his old college friend, and Maddie lacked the resolve to tell him why this was impossible. A part of her suspected that Vlad knew this, and that he was exploiting it for his own selfish purposes.

She wanted to tell Jack, but when she opened her mouth, the only words that came out were, "I guess I'll see you soon, then." She felt her traitorous lips curl into a smile.

"That's the spirit!" Jack beamed at her.

Oh, well; what were a couple of days of discouraging Vlad's advances? She could handle it; it wasn't anything she hadn't done before. And at least she would have Danny to help her out; her son knew what a creep Vlad was as well as she did, and if the visit gave Jack a little hope for his friendship with Vlad, what harm could it do to go?

…

Danny's jaw nearly hit the floor. "You agreed to visit Vlad?" He could hardly believe his ears. Was his mother sick? Was she _crazy_?

"I know, I know," admitted Maddie with a sigh. "But it'll make your father happy. And I do owe him for the time he agreed to go with me to the Women in Science conference that Jazz signed me up for."

"I really don't think the two situations even out at all," grumbled Danny.

"Now, Danny," scolded Maddie lightly. "_I _didn't even want to go to that conference. But it made your sister happy. That's what being in a family is all about; you have to sacrifice what you want every now and then-make compromises. It's important to remember that. Besides, Vlad is…repellant, but he's essentially harmless."

Danny sighed heavily. How was he supposed to explain to his mother that Vlad was pretty much the exact opposite of harmless–that he was, in fact, an incredibly powerful, incredibly dangerous half-ghost who wanted nothing more than to kill Danny's father?

"If you say so, Mom," he ground out, already exhausted.

Maddie placed a comforting hand on her son's arm. "Thank you for being such a good sport about this, Danny. Tell you what –how about I take you to the mall when we get back and buy you that new computer game that just came out?"

"You mean Doomed II? No thanks, I'm not really into that series, anymore." Danny smiled weakly. "I'll settle for a new pair of sneakers, though."

"You have yourself a deal, young man," agreed Maddie happily.

…

Danny's stomach was in knots as he shoved a drawer-full of clothes into a duffle bag. This was just perfect; his first week free of school in months, and he was going to be spending it trying to keep Vlad away from his parents. He could only wonder what Vlad was planning this time- what grand master scheme he had dreamed up to win the affections of Danny's mother and convince Danny to renounce his real father. The truly infuriating part about it, Danny decided, was the way that Vlad just automatically decided that he would be better for Maddie than Danny's father; how he assumed that she would just fall into his arms when her husband wasn't looking just because he was rich, or whatever twisted reason Vlad used to make his sick doings logical in his own mind.

"At least I know Mom can take of herself," Danny reminded himself. Maddie had proven during their last meeting with Vlad that she was more than capable of spurning the obsessive billionaire on her own. "Still, it would be best to keep an eye on Vlad and make sure he doesn't get her alone. I just hope he doesn't send something after dad while I'm gone."

…

"This is so much better than that ridiculous RV." Jazz sighed happily as she snuggled back into the plush leather seat of Vlad's private jet.

""You mean the Fenton Family Assault vehicle?" replied Danny with a grin. As much as he hated to admit it, he agreed whole-heartedly with his sister. Where the RV was cramped and completely devoid of comfortable seating, the VladCo jet was bright, roomy, and lacking only benign-looking buttons that would leave you covered with ectoplasmic goop. Jazz was especially grateful for this last fact.

"You know what the best part of this is?" said Jazz. "There's no Dad to blather on about ghosts like a crazy person."

"He'll be here on the flight back," Danny reminded her, feeling a twinge of loyalty toward his father.

"And he can sit with Mom in the other cabin." Jazz gestured over her shoulder to the second compartment of the plane that the Fenton family had left entirely unoccupied.

Danny's grin drifted downward as he turned away to stare out this window. At least they knew they were going to Vlad's this time, which meant they likely wouldn't be forced out of the plane over a not-so-random patch of woods.

The sound of his mother returning from the bathroom caught Danny's attention. She dropped unceremoniously into her seat, a film of worry spread thick over her features.

Jazz leaned over to Danny, using the child psychology book she was reading to shield her words from Maddie. "Did Mom and Dad get into a fight before we left?"

"No," said Danny. "Why?"

"She hasn't smiled once since we left the house."

Danny frowned. Come to think of it, what Jazz said was true- Maddie's cheerful smile had lasted only as long as it had taken to kiss Jack goodbye and promise to call him at the slightest trace of the Dairy King's ghost. He hadn't thought she was _that_ upset to go see Vlad- _he _was, heaven knew, but he had a reason to be.

"We could ask," suggested Danny. Though Jazz began to protest, he only sat up and turned to his mother. "Are you okay, Mom?"

Maddie blinked, surprised, then broke out into a bright smile. "Oh, I'm fine. I was just trying to remember whether I labeled the casseroles I left in the freezer for your father. You know how he can never tell the difference between food and ectoplasmic residue samples unless I put it on the container for him."

Danny sent Jazz a relieved grin, and she nodded shortly before returning to her book. For the rest of the flight, Danny's mother was perfectly cheerful, prompting Danny for information about school –his grades in particular– and his friends. Danny's responses were noncommittal, for the most part, but he found himself getting pretty animated as he related a story about Tucker accidentally throwing a spoon into a beehive at lunch a few weeks previously. It wasn't until the pilot announced that they were descending into Wisconsin that a heavy feeling of dread began to creep back into his intestines.

Vlad met them at the airport, all charm and beguiling smiles, the very picture of elegant wealth in his impeccable black suit.

"Ah, the Fentons. How wonderful to see you all again." He spread his hands in an elegant gesture of welcome before focusing on Danny's mother. "My goodness, Maddie, you grow lovelier every time I see you," he told her amicably, showcasing his uncanny ability to forget any action of his own that cast himself in a bad light. Maddie thanked him with tangibly frigid politeness, which caused Jazz to frown slightly in confusion. Danny positioned himself between Vlad and his mother, the threat of a scowl pulling at the corners of his mouth. Vlad acknowledged this action with a raised eyebrow and an amused smile.

"Hello, Daniel." His voice was velvety and venomous.

"Vlad," grunted Danny.

Jazz's puzzled frown deepened. "Danny, don't be rude," she hissed. Vlad directed a smile at her.

"Jasmine, was it?"

Jazz, who was currently inclined to like Vlad if for nothing other than his jet, nodded "Yup."

But Vlad wasn't listening to her. He had been distracted by one very large detail, or rather, the lack thereof. His eyes took in the perfectly incomplete group before him, his smile growing steadily wider.

"What's this?" he asked, barely able to contain the gleeful surprise in his voice. "No Jack?"

"He was a little held up at home," replied Maddie. "But he'll be along in a few days."

"Excellent," murmured Vlad, though he showed no signs of having heard her. Brightening significantly, he swept forward, one hand at Danny's back pushing the teen onward. Danny let out a squawk of protest, attempting to twist out of Vlad's reach, but the older man simply fisted his fingers into the fabric of Danny's t-shirt.

"Come along, everyone," he chirped. "I have a car waiting outside." Once they reached the door, he waved Maddie and Jazz ahead of him, then followed with Danny in tow.

…

Vlad gave Danny the same bedroom he'd given the boy upon their first meeting. It was one of the largest spare rooms, but also the farthest away from where the rest of them would be sleeping, which made Danny nervous. He didn't even bother to unpack- he wanted to be ready just in case Vlad did something that made Maddie angry enough to simply grab her children and leave, and, knowing Vlad, the possibility wasn't so far off. Instead, Danny took to pacing the floor for nearly an hour, checking the room for anything remotely suspicious, and, finally, going ghost and making a more thorough investigation of the house.

It was just as large and forbidding as Danny remembered it, from the bare stone walls to the vast, empty corridors. Even the usually cheerful gold and green of the Green Bay Packers seemed to take on an ominous hue in the medieval mansion. Danny shivered as he passed through the walls from room to room, not because he was cold, but because of the eerie atmosphere the place gave off. It was unnatural; the place was huge, and Vlad was the only living in it. All the dank, vacant rooms seemed to have taken on a life of their own as if to compensate. Wherever he went, Danny felt like he was being watched, but he didn't sense a single ghost.

"Forget what I said," decided Danny as he peered through the black doorway of yet another unused room. "Vlad needs to get like _eight_ cats."

"For the last time, Daniel," growled a voice behind him. "I am _not_ getting a cat."

Danny spun around to face a scowling Vlad Plasmius. He raised his fists, preparing to fire an ecto-blast, but stopped and froze. Hanging limp from Vlad's arms was his mother.

"What did you do to her?" demanded Danny.

"Relax," said Vlad, infuriatingly nonchalant and condescending. "You don't really think I'd hurt her, do you? She's merely been knocked out for a little while. You see, I have a very important part for her in my latest plan, and I just don't think it would work quite as well if she was conscious." He was advancing slowly, now, forcing Danny to retreat into the room behind him. Vlad looked intently into the darkness over Danny's left shoulder and nodded.

The lights whirred to life, flooding the room with aching white brilliance. Danny shielded his eyes against the unexpected brightness and, as he blinked rapidly to force his eyes to adjust, he found himself seized by the wrists and ankles and hurled against the far wall. He groaned in pain and then in dismay. There were very familiar green ecto-bonds fastening his limbs to one another and their equally familiar inventor was leering at him in undisguised delight.

"Greetings, Ghost Child," said Skulker happily.

Danny gave a roar and attempted to tear the bonds; something that had always proven possible, if not necessarily easy, in the past. But this time they refused to break. They stretched with Danny's violent struggling, snapping back painfully every time he stopped, like giant, super-strong rubber bands.

"Let me guess," said Danny dryly. "Another upgrade?"

Skulker grinned. "Neat, huh?"

Vlad was growing impatient. "Skulker, get him in the cage," he ordered.

"You're putting me in a _cage_?" Danny was dumbstruck. Skulker seized him by the collar and lugged him over to a small metal platform, where he dropped him brusquely. Then, with an expression more befitting a Cheshire cat than a ghost, Skulker threw a switch protruding from the wall next to him. Crackling pink bars of electric ecto-energy surrounded Danny, and he felt his powers being drained from him. His bonds were cut, but not before delivering an excruciating shock, and Danny fell to his knees on the floor of the cage.

"Shouldn't you be going to get a magazine about a Purple-Back Gorilla?" he spat at the ghostly hunter.

"Actually, I," began Skulker smugly, but he was cut off by a beeping noise coming from the console on his wrist. His face fell. "Actually, I have to go take pictures at the zoo," he grumbled. Wings erupted from the shoulders of his armor and propelled his hulking frame towards the ceiling and out of the room.

"That's one down." Danny struggled to his feet. "Now I just have to find a way out of this thing so I can get to Vlad."

Plasmius chuckled. "Really, now, Daniel. Talking to yourself like that is not a sign of a healthy mind."

"Right, because _you're_ the poster boy for mental stability. Let's review the situation, shall we? The love of your life, who has already shot you down multiple times, is currently unconscious through your own doing, and you have her son—" Here, he gestured to himself. "—a fourteen-year-old boy, locked in a cage."

"Yes, well." Vlad looked guiltily down at Maddie's form in his arms. "The situation is about to change."

"You're going to let me out?"

"No."

"You're going to leave my mother alone so she can go back to being happy with the man she chose over you?"

"No," repeated Vlad, unamused. "I'm going to even out the playing field. Then we'll see who Maddie falls in love with."

Danny frowned. "What are you talking about?" He'd always teased the older man about it, but he was now genuinely beginning to suspect that Vlad had dropped a few essential marbles somewhere in the Ghost Zone.

Vlad grinned, setting Maddie on an empty tabletop and spreading his arms to indicate a huge machine directly behind him. It took up the entire wall, and resembled a massive MRI machine, with tubes of neon-pink lights lining its gleaming metallic face. The air around it was warped with its sick, rosy glow, and the whole thing hummed with energy.

"Behold," breathed Vlad. "The Plasmius Memor Haud Magis. I like to call it the Vaporizer"

"Memor who whatis?"

Vlad sighed. "It's Latin. It means 'Remember no more.'"

"Huh," said Danny. "Brushing up on your dead languages? I guess that counts as a hobby."

"This machine," continued Vlad, ignoring Danny's comment. "Will erase all of your mother's memories of your fat, idiot father, leaving me free to swoop in and sweep her off her feet!"

Danny cringed. "And just when I thought you were making progress on the desperate front." Inwardly, he began to panic.

Vlad scooped up the unconscious body of Danny's mother and frowned. "Make all the jokes you like, Daniel. But once I wipe the slate of Maddie's lovely mind clean, there will be nothing to stop me from gaining her love for myself!"

"You mean aside from the fact that you're a creepy, obsessive loser?"

Vlad glared at Danny heatedly. "I would've won your mother years ago if it hadn't been for that accident. Now, I will restore things to the way they should have been. And with you stuck in that cage, there's nothing you can do to stop me!" He hovered close and leered at Danny, who glared at him in return, wishing madly but vainly for a way out of his prison.

"Be patient, Daniel. When your mother is finally mine, you'll be free to stay here with us and join me as my son."

"Never!" hissed Danny.

Vlad's mouth pursed into a scowl "We'll see about that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have twenty years of memories to vaporize." Vlad threw his head back to indulge in a Grade-A super-villain laugh before going to the Vaporizer and gingerly strapping Maddie to a large metal table. He slid it into the machine with all the care of a brain surgeon, a pensive grimace clinging to his lips. Danny stood, horrified, as the other half-ghost began flipping switches and punching in complicated patterns of codes on the Vaporizer's hull. He attempted to go ghost, then to simply stick his hands through the pulsing bars of his cage, but all he received in return was another agonizing volt of electricity.

"Don't hurt yourself _too_ badly, Daniel," called Vlad lightly from the far end of the room. Danny made a noise remarkably like a growl. Vlad smiled. One more switch, and the machine would wipe Maddie's memories cleaner than new-fallen snow. One simple flick of a finger, and the woman of his dreams would finally, _finally_ be his. He felt triumphant. Beaming like a bride on her wedding day, he reached out and flicked.

The Vaporizer began to whine, a high, obviously mechanical sound that thinned and heightened until it resembled a wail. The machine began to shake, then to smoke.

"No, this isn't right," said Vlad desperately, rushing forward to pull Maddie away. "No, no, no, no, no!"

The Vaporizer screamed like a siren, and every light in the lab went out.

In the heavy darkness of the room, two voices called out in unison. The words they spoke were not the same, but their broken, wailing tones matched one another perfectly.

"Maddie!" howled Vlad, groping his way through the pitch-black to where she was.

"Mom!" The bars of Danny's cage had disappeared with the rest of the power, and he now rushed into the room, not even pausing to go ghost, scanning the inky gloom frantically for the shapes of Vlad and his mother.

"If you hurt her, I swear I'll…I'll…where _are _you?" Danny waved his arms blindly.

"Ouch—hey!"

Danny froze. The voice was definitely not Vlad's; at least not unless the Vaporizer had done something horribly wrong and turned Vlad into a girl.

"Mom?" he asked hopefully.

"I'm not anyone's mom, kid," replied the voice. It was familiar, but Danny couldn't quite place where he's heard it. "Sorry."

"Yeah, me too," replied Danny awkwardly. "For hitting you."

"It's all right. Uh, say, you wouldn't happen to know where I am, would you?"

Danny was prevented from speaking by the return of the lights. Vlad, now out of ghost form, gave a whoop of triumph from where he stood at the circuit breaker, turning with a wicked grin to face Danny. His gaze, however, fell directly next to the teen, and his jaw fell slack.

"M-Maddie?" he stammered.

Danny raised an eyebrow and turned to his right. Next to him stood a girl, probably somewhere around Jazz's age, with a mess of auburn curls and a puzzled, slightly frightened expression.

"How do you know my name?" she asked, drawing back slightly, and Danny noticed that she still wore his mother's ghost-hunting jumpsuit.

Suddenly, everything clicked into place, and Danny swallowed a gasp.

The Vaporizer had done its job- had done it with incredible skill and faultless efficiency. Danny's mother had vanished, but he recognized the girl who had been left behind in her place. He had seen her before, smiling out from a frame in Vlad's lab alongside Danny's father and a pre-Plasmius Vlad. It was the Maddie Vlad had first fallen in love with. Danny gawked, speechless, as he realized that the Vaporizer had not only erased his mother's memories of his father, it had reverted her to an age when she had never even met him!

"Oh man," groaned Danny, the color draining from his face. "This is not good."

"You're telling me," huffed Maddie, crossing her arms. "This is so bogus."

Danny, not for the first time in his relatively short life, felt like screaming.

* * *

This is my first piece of fanfic ever, so please RandR! Concrit is also welcome, but please try to keep it gentle.

**A/N:**I'm not so sure about the Latin I used for Vlad's machine, so if I got that wrong please feel free to tell me! If you can see any other problems with the story, please bring those to my attention, too. :) I appreciate it.


	2. Chapter 2 Memor Haud Magis

_Teen Mother_

**Disclaimer:** Butch Hartman owns Danny Phantom and all related characters, the lucky dog. I, consequentially, own none of them.

**Many, many thanks to: **Rya Starling, DPcrazy, pearl84, Esme Phantom, and Thunderstorm101 for their kind and lovely reviews. It's always such an honor to see some of my favorite DP authors reviewing my work, and I appreciate the support and advice more than I can say. This next chapter is dedicated to you guys. :D

* * *

Vlad could hardly believe his eyes. Every ounce of logic within him was screaming that this was impossible; that there was no way the girl currently staring him down could be Maddie. But, then again, when it came to the woman who had become Danny's mother, logic was not Vlad's main priority. And he had certainly spent enough of his time in college gazing longingly at her to know when she stood right in front of him. Even the solemn, expectant, slightly annoyed expression on Maddie's face was not entirely foreign to him. Only the presence of a certain angry ghost boy reminded Vlad of where –and when– he was.

So his machine had worked…well, sort of, anyway. True, he hadn't anticipated the unusual physical transformation Maddie had undergone, but if he had succeeded in expunging her memories of Jack, then Vlad couldn't be all that concerned about it, could he? The only obstacle now was to see just how much she remembered.

Vlad extended a hand towards Maddie, a shocked, hurt expression on his face.

"Why, Maddie, don't you recognize me?"

"Should I?" Maddie, who had been slowly drawing away from Vlad, paused, unsure.

"No," said Danny curtly. "No, you shouldn't." He took up a defensive stance in front of his mother, hands curled tightly into fists.

"Oh, and she should recognize you?" The corner of Vlad's mouth twitched upwards.

Danny hesitated. "Um, yes?"

"I don't recognize either one of you," offered Maddie, though she drew closer to Danny as she spoke. After a quick assessment of the situation, she had decided that, if it came down to it, she probably had a better chance of fending off the dark-haired boy beside her than the older man approaching them, and the boy did seem to be trying to protect her. So, for the moment, her loyalties were set.

She placed a hand on her hip and tried to look formidable. "Though you both appear to know me. Care to explain?"

Vlad glanced at Danny. The teen responded with a glare that told Vlad very clearly that, yes, he would fiercely dispute whatever Vlad tried to tell his mother. Vlad decided to play it safe-for now, anyway.

"Maddie, my dear, do you remember how you got here?"

Although neither she nor Danny seemed altogether comfortable with Vlad's familiar tone, Maddie responded willingly enough.

"No, I don't," she admitted.

"What can you remember?"

Maddie relaxed somewhat, folding her arms and frowning thoughtfully.

"Well, the last thing I remember is going to bed last night. My mom and sister helped me move into my dorm room yesterday, and today is supposed to be my first official day of classes." She halted briefly, her eyes darting to Vlad. "Isn't it?"

'She's talking about college,' realized Danny. 'But, wait, if she remembers moving into her dorm, then—'

Vlad made a small _tsk_ sound with his tongue that caught Danny's attention.

"Are you certain that's all you remember?" he pressed.

"Yes," replied Maddie vehemently. "Why, what am I forgetting?" The absolute confidence she had displayed earlier began to wane, sapped by the apparent possibility that she was forgetting something that, if not exactly important, was nonetheless part of her past, and therefore something she felt she ought to be able to recall.

Vlad, meanwhile, had taken advantage of Maddie's distracted uncertainty to move closer, his arms out, his smug, triumphant smile concealed by a layer of unmitigated worry and concern.

"Maddie," he said softly. "The day you're talking about…that happened over a year ago."

"W-what?" Maddie's eyes went wide with panic.

Danny's eyes narrowed suspiciously. If Vlad was planning on thoughtlessly feeding Maddie lies, he definitely had another thing coming.

Vlad took another step forward, folding his arms behind his back with a worrisome smile. His eyes locked onto Danny's, and the teen could practically _see _the plot that was being hatched behind them. What he did not see, however, was the index finger that Vlad extended, nor the single small ecto-beam that fired out of it. There was a sudden shower of salmon-colored sparks from the circuit breaker, and the room once again plunged into darkness. Danny let out a cry of surprise.

"Sorry, little badger." Danny swung in the direction of Vlad's voice as it sounded behind him. The only response to his action was a dark chuckle. "Was that supposed to hit me?"

"What do you think you're doing?" hissed Danny, going ghost as he spoke.

"I need to have a little talk with Maddie," replied Vlad reasonably. "And it will be much easier for me if you aren't there."

"And how exactly do you plant to keep me away?" snorted Danny.

"A valid point," admitted Vlad indifferently. Danny cried out in pain as he was caught in the side by an ecto-blast. "But also one I have already taken into consideration."

Danny struggled to hoist himself to his feet, groaning in pain. A hand came down hard on his shoulder, lifting him clear off the ground, and Danny could feel Vlad's proximity like standing too close to a cut power line.

"Don't worry, Daniel, my plan isn't simply to defeat you in the dark, though I'm certainly not above it." A complacent chuckle.

"What did you do to my mom?" growled Danny, swinging to land a blow on his unseen enemy.

"I didn't 'do anything' to her," Vlad informed him. Then, after a short, reflective pause, he added, "Well, you know, aside from the obvious."

Using Vlad's voice to pinpoint his location, Danny flung an elbow back to make contact with the billionaire's nose. Vlad gave a garbled roar of pain and released Danny, who made a mad dash for the circuit breaker. It had been in front of him before the lights had gone out, and a bit to the right, and he had been pushed forward into the wall by Vlad's attack. So Danny now kept one hand on the wall as he made his way thorough the darkness, following it to the right until he came across the little metal box he sought.

It occurred to Danny that he had no idea how to fix a circuit breaker, but it soon became clear that the damage Vlad had done would have been irreparable even if he did; Danny's searching hands were met with only a mottled mess of melted metal and mangled wires.

"Great," he muttered. "How am I supposed to get to Mom before Vlad does if I can't see either one of them?"

"You could do what I do," suggested an arrogant voice next to him. "You could wait until he makes the mistake of talking to himself and then find him by his voice."

Danny dropped to the ground in anticipation of an attack. Sure enough, a flash of pink ecto-energy temporarily lit up the air above him, lending a brief glow to the entire room. Danny caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of his eye; his mother was caught in the grip of a Plasmius double, struggling wildly against his hold, her eyes huge and glazed with fear. Danny dove in her direction as the room faded back into blackness once again.

"I really hope I aimed this right…gotcha!" Danny caught his mother around the waist, phasing her through the Plasmius double and, when they reached it, the wall.

They swerved out into the hallway, Danny frantic in his search for somewhere to get Maddie out of the way until he could explain the situation to her. He wasn't exactly sure how he expected her to react, especially if she really remembered as little about her life as she appeared to. Then again, that was understandable, wasn't it? Danny doubted very much that anyone in his mother's current situation would, upon being informed that she had been brainwashed and de-aged by a seriously whacked-out half-ghost who had been infatuated with her since college, would even be able to believe what she was being told.

And what was he supposed to say to her? "Hey, I know you don't recognize me, but I'm actually your son by a man you don't exactly remember meeting."? But that wouldn't really be true, would it?

"Ghost!" shrieked Maddie, literally smacking Danny out of his reverie.

"Ow!" He leaned away from his flailing mother to avoid another slap. "Calm down! I'm a good ghost! I'm trying to help you, here."

Maddie did not appear convinced. "There's no such thing as a good ghost," she replied, further proving this impression. Then, displaying an unexpected amount of courage, she poked him defiantly in the jumpsuit-clad chest and asserted, "You better not have hurt that little boy."

"I'm not a little b—" Danny began to protest crossly, but stopped. "I mean, I didn't. I told you; I'm a good ghost."

"Then prove it," challenged Maddie. "I can take care of myself. Put me down and go save him!"

"I, uh, I will," promised Danny awkwardly. "Just let me get you out of the way."

Maddie agreed to this term reluctantly, and Danny dropped her off in the guest room that currently held his belongings.

"Just wait here," he instructed her. "I'll go save the…little boy, and I'll be right back. I need to talk to you, okay?"

Maddie crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. "All right. You have yourself a deal, ghost." Danny winced at the words, but at least she had agreed to hear him out. That was a start.

"Good. I'll be right back," he reaffirmed.

Maddie waved him away. "Go, go." Danny allowed himself one last relieved smile, but felt it slip from his face as Maddie's impertinent expression fell into one laced with a fair amount of horror.

"G-ghost!" she stammered.

"Yeah, we've been over this, remember?" sighed Danny. He felt a hand clasp onto his shoulder from behind, and Vlad leaned over his shoulder to leer at Maddie.

"Boo," said Plasmius calmly. Laughing, he patted Danny fondly on the back. "Good job getting her away from the others," he praised the younger hybrid. "I assume you took care of the boy?"

Danny looked at Plasmius as though the latter had just sprouted another head-or maybe not, as that was something Danny had seen Vlad do while his powers were limited by the Specter Deflector.

"What are you talking about?" he demanded. Vlad's intentions, however, were soon clear.

"I knew it!" Maddie pointed an accusatory finger at Danny, and it shook with fury. "You lied to me. I knew there was no such thing as a good ghost! You were on _his_ side the entire time."

"No," Danny tried to explain. "No, it's a trick, I swear. I—"

"Why should I believe you?" snapped Maddie. She began furiously patting down the pockets of her jumpsuit, oblivious to the fact that she was wearing something entirely unfamiliar to her. "Where is it…? Aha!" She withdrew the Lipstick Laser with a triumphant grin. "Given, it's still in testing stages, but desperate times, right?"

She uncapped the fatal cosmetic and aimed it square at Vlad. A beam of energy shot out, catching him square in the chest and flinging him to the wall.

"Whoa, I don't remember it being able to do _that._" She turned the Lipstick toward her, frowning down at it and dodging the beam that accidentally fired out. "Oops."

"That's it," Vlad grunted as he hauled himself to a standing position. "No more Mr. Nice Plasmius." Sprouting a pair of doubles, he surrounded Maddie, advancing on her until she was more or less herded into a corner. She pointed the Laser Lipstick at all three of the ghosts in turn, unsure of which one to attack.

Danny knew Vlad wouldn't hurt Maddie, and he had successfully turned her against Danny Phantom, so his current motives were unclear. That did not, however, mean that Danny would stand by and do nothing while Plasmius scared his mother out of her wits. Maybe he could even earn back a few merit points while he was at it.

"Get away from her, Plasmius!" Danny threw a volley of ecto-blasts at the three copies of his archenemy, but he wasn't able to attack as fiercely as he would've liked; he still hadn't perfected his aiming, and Maddie was too close for comfort. She screamed as a chunk of debris falling from the wall nearly crushed her. The occurrence apparently helped her decide who the most significant enemy was; she fired the laser at Danny, singeing his arm.

Danny felt like he'd been punched in the stomach. The idea of his own mother trying to hurt him-to kill him, hit a little too close to home. 'This is exactly what it would be like if she ever discovered your secret,' hissed a spiteful little voice in the back of his head. Danny pushed it away and prepared for another assault on Plasmius. But before he could strike, the door to the room slammed open, startling everyone inside.

"Maddie!" Vlad Masters stood in the doorway looking frazzled and harassed. There was a slash across the front of his suit, and one of the sleeves had been torn clean away. He had even mussed his hair- half of it now hung around his face or stuck up at odd angles. Danny realized suddenly why there were only three Plasmius doubles "attacking" him and Maddie; they were a distraction. The real Vlad had arranged the whole thing: letting Danny escape from the lab with his mother, sending one of his doubles to follow Danny, making Maddie think that Danny was just as evil as Plasmius- and now here he was to rescue her from certain death, like a heroic prince in a fairy tale instead of the slimy villain he really was. Just as he had planned it.

Maddie blasted the closest Plasmius, acknowledging the man in the doorway with a half-hearted wave.

"Hold on, Maddie!" called Vlad. "I'll save you!"

"Ugh, why does it sound like he's rehearsed that? Oh no you don't." Danny swooped down as Vlad dashed into the room and placed himself directly in his path. "I'm not gonna let you keep lying to her."

"Oh really?" Vlad grinned, and Danny had to wonder whether it was really only Plasmius who had fangs. "Why don't we start telling her the truth, then, hm? Ghost boy." The Plasmius Maximus crackled menacingly as Vlad withdrew it from wherever he had been hiding it. "She's not your mommy right now, Daniel; she isn't obligated to love you no matter what. She may have harbored some protective instinct for you when she thought you were just a helpless little kid, but just imagine what she'll think of you if she finds out that you're the evil ghost who tricked her into trusting him."

Danny stepped back. "Hold on, Vlad. If you tell her who I am, I'll—"

"You'll what? Reveal _my_ secret? And just how are you going to do that?"

Danny faltered. He had nothing, and Vlad knew it. Vlad's grin widened. "She doesn't have to hate Danny Fenton, too, Daniel. Just step aside."

Danny hesitated, but his decision was made for him as he was hit full in the back by the Lipstick Laser.

"Don't you hurt him, ghost! I think you've done enough damage for one day." Maddie scowled as she lowered her weapon. True, she didn't know the white-haired man who had called her name, and, true, she had previously decided not to trust him, but the situation had changed somewhat. Though he hadn't seemed entirely dependable upon their first meeting, he had shown that he held no love for ghosts, and that was something Maddie could relate to. Her loyalties found themselves altered as she clasped his hand and allowed him to lead her out of the room, dodging ecto-blasts that hardly seemed aimed at them at all.

Danny groaned in pain from where he lay sprawled on the floor.

"Shoot." He pounded his fists into the floor angrily. "Shoot! What am I gonna do? Vlad has Mom's trust completely, now, and I bet he's already filling her head with lies." He changed into his human form, following Vlad's example by tearing his shirt and rubbing a handful of dirt into it. His hair…well, he never could do anything about that, anyway, so he figured he didn't need to worry about it.

As long as he was there while Vlad "explained" the situation to Maddie, Danny figured, he could refute anything that wasn't true. Danny's mother had revealed to him that she was worried about his safety- that had to mean that he had some kind of edge over Vlad, didn't it?

"Time to put that creep in his place," he muttered.

A soft "ahem" forced Danny to turn around.

"Oh. I forgot about you guys." Danny laughed nervously as the three Plasmius doubles Vlad had left behind advanced with displeased expressions and fists glowing with ectoplasmic energy. Danny quickly went ghost.

"I guess I can put you creeps in your place, first," he reasoned uncertainly.

"No, Maddie, wait!" Vlad's voice made Danny turn.

"Vlad" –apparently she had learned his name— "we have to find out what they've done to him, and our best chance of that is by capturing one of those ghosts and asking them. How can you tell me to wait when a child's life is on the line?"

"I'm _not _a child!" Danny seethed, but an idea came to him and he smiled. Changing into human form again, he let out a wail of pain, then flung himself on the floor in a mock-faint.

"Oh my god!" Maddie rushed into the room, stooping to check Danny's vital signs. She whipped out the Lipstick Laser, but Vlad simply waved his hand, and Plasmius one, two, and three disintegrated into the air.

Maddie cradled Danny's evidently unconscious body and turned to Vlad with a dark frown. "I hope you're happy with yourself," she raged, her voice dangerously low. "If I had listened to you and waited, this boy could be dead."

Danny could hear the anger Vlad bit back when he spoke. "I realize that now, and I apologize. I can't believe how incredibly short-sighted I was. I'm just glad to see that the boy is all right."

"No thanks to you," said Maddie, but she sounded assuaged. "Here, you can carry him."

Danny wished he could protest as he felt himself passed from Maddie's arms to Vlad's. Much to his surprise, the man made no move to drop him; he just held him- gently, even. He didn't even seem very reluctant.

'I hope he feels guilty,' thought Danny morosely. Vlad had no way to know that Danny hadn't actually been injured, and he did have that tendency to try and force his sick, fatherly affection on the boy. Suddenly, Danny regretted tricking him-he didn't like the idea of Vlad and his mother together, smiling fondly at one another after a victory against a pack of fearsome ghosts, while Vlad held Danny like…like…

Like a son.

Danny was unable to restrain the groan that escaped him as he realized that he might just have made the situation worse.

* * *

I you have any questions, feel free to ask, and I'll do my very best to answer them. 

And, of course, reviews are always more than welcome.


	3. Chapter 3 Traps and Lies

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Danny, Vlad, Jazz, Maddie, or any other Danny Phantom characters, though I think they'd make a lovely gift!

There is really so little readily available information on Maddie. I ended up having to make up a birthday, hometown, and maiden name for her. If I have just been willfully oblivious and overlooked previously existing info on Maddie, please let me know!

**Reviews:**

**Shining Zephyr**-I'm so seriously blushing at your indescribably kind words. I always appreciate a fellow lover of grammar, and I'm looking forward to your opinion of the next chapter!

**doinstuff**- Aw, thank you. I'm working very hard on it; I'm so grateful for the review and I hope you like the next chapter.

**mystery writer5775**-Haha, I don't think it's quite occured to Danny yet that he's eventually going to have to deal with Jack. XD But he's certainly learning that desperate times may require him to reveal his secret to _someone..._

**Thunderstorm101**-I think you are most definitely correct in that assumption, my friend. :D

**Wishes for Wings**-Thank you for the review! I'm so relieved with some of the advice I've been given about the Latin; it was worrying me something awful before, so I can't express how wonderful it is for people to be so understanding and helpful about it. Yay newbies! Hope you like this chapter, newbie buddy. :)

**Rya Starling**-He really does, poor dear, but I don't think that'll stop him from trying!

**pHaNtOmFuRy**-Ahhhh, thankyouthankyouthankyou. You are so nice! Please enjoy this chapter. :D

**StarsOfTwilight**-O.O I will certainly be avoiding that pitchfork in the future. XD Thank you so much for the support, and please, if the characters get OOC, feel free to tell me. I'm so happy you like the story so far, but I can't promise that there won't be another cliffhanger. :)

SO MUCH love and gratitude to my reviewers; you guys keep me writing! This chapter is dedicated to you. :D

p.s. Anyone who can guess what literary character I based Maddie's maiden name off gets _major _love and internet cookies!!!!

* * *

"We should bring him somewhere he can rest." Maddie's fingers were feather-light as they swept Danny's matted hair away from his forehead. She turned a soft smile in Vlad's direction, and the billionaire found himself agreeing vehemently. It had been so long since Maddie had smiled at him like that. Vlad's responding smile was brilliant, wide, and a little dopey. And, for the first time in what felt like years, it was genuine. 

Maddie looked away quickly. "I guess you should lead the way," she suggested, waving vaguely towards the door. "Considering that I don't…remember my way around."

Vlad obliged graciously, shifting Daniel closer to his chest, and the boy seemed no more of a weight than his own soaring heart.

Danny, on the other hand, was none too pleased with this further invasion of personal space, especially not when it was by Vlad. He risked a peek at the billionaire, and the jubilant expression that met his eyes did little to calm his nerves. Experience told Danny that anything that made Vlad _that_ happy could not be a good thing.

'I think it's time for me to "wake up,"' he thought decisively. Of course, he had to make sure not to be _too_ obvious about it—his earlier plan to make Maddie angry at Vlad had certainly backfired on him, and the thought of letting Vlad know that he had been deceived into thinking that Danny was seriously injured in a ploy to cast him out of Maddie's good graces was not entirely appealing to the teen. If the plan had worked, things might have been different, but as it was, Danny's main focus was not on Vlad. His goal was to stay with his mother, to make sure that the man she once had -or would- know had no opportunity to manipulate her into believing…whatever it was that Vlad intended to tell her. So the plan now was to take a route of careful subtlety. Danny squirmed slightly in Vlad's arms and allowed a soft groan to escape his lips, making a great show of easing back into waking.

Vlad began to panic at the slightest hint of movement from Danny. The boy couldn't wake up, now—he would ruin everything! Determined to get Danny out of the way before he fully regained consciousness, Vlad ducked into the first room he came to and slammed the door before Maddie could follow.

Vlad did not realize until it was too late that he had carried Danny into his own bedroom. He muttered a curse that sounded suspiciously edible before deciding that, while he wouldn't feel entirely comfortable leaving the young half-ghost alone in his private bed chambers, the circumstances were far from unfortunate. In his current state, Daniel would be unable to refute any explanation Vlad chose to give Maddie about her presence in his home, and Maddie would, therefore, undoubtedly believe him. He set Daniel on the bed with a small smile, drawing the sheets over him tenderly.

This was what it would be like, Vlad realized in a sudden moment of clarity, to tuck Daniel into bed, had the teen truly been his son.

Of course, there was always time for that wrong to be righted, always time for Daniel to recognize and admit his mistake. Vlad had been waiting for Maddie to do the same for roughly twenty years; what were a few more for her son? Vlad doubted it would even take that long. He had never stopped believing that once he'd convinced Maddie to leave Jack, Daniel would see sense and follow his mother into Vlad's open arms. And that was only a matter of time, now. He had always known that Maddie would have chosen him over the fat oaf had it not been for that cursed accident. Now the Vaporizer had given him the chance to prove it. All those weeks of toiling labor would finally come to beautiful fruition. Maddie had literally been reverted to that perfect state in which Vlad had fallen for her so completely, and, this time, Jack would have no opportunity to screw it all up.

Vlad reached out and tousled Danny's hair, brimming with a parental affection that never ceased to baffle him.

'But why shouldn't I care for the boy?' he thought to himself. 'I would be a better father than Jack could ever hope to be. I could offer Daniel so much more—training, understanding, support, assistance.' He paused, watching the teen sleep. A thoughtful frown creased his forehead. 'And it should have been me, anyway. Maddie should have been mine. _He_ should have been mine.'

Danny grimaced in his sleep and batted Vlad's hand away. The older hybrid only chuckled.

"Sleep well, Daniel," he said, his mouth curling up into a grin. "I'll come back for you later. I can't keep your mother waiting, now can I?" He turned to leave, but a hand latched onto his wrist and gripped it tightly. Vlad faced Danny, slack-jawed with surprise.

"What's wrong, Plasmius?" taunted Danny, grinning up at Vlad rakishly. "Were you expecting me to be a good little boy and take a nice, long nap while you brainwashed my mom?"

Vlad's shocked appearance quickly fell into an irritated glower. "I _was_ hoping you would," he growled. "As it would save me the trouble of having to put you out of commission myself. But in the condition you're in, dear boy, it won't be much trouble at all, will it?" With a flash of dark light, Plasmius appeared, arms folded, a wicked smile twisting his mouth.

Danny sneered. He went ghost, preparing a fistful of ecto-energy to blast in Vlad's direction. The older hybrid laughed and, when Danny fired, dodged the attack easily, sending a responding volley of energy that slammed the teen into the wall. Danny bit back a groan of pain and struggled to his feet, gathering enough power to force himself back into the air. He hovered unsteadily before Vlad, his shaking fists aflame with a sickly but radiant green glow. The blow had struck him squarely in the chest, and Danny's lungs now burned with every forced breath. But he couldn't let Vlad defeat him; falling into unconsciousness now meant possibly losing the chance to save his mother, and that was something Danny couldn't allow to happen.

"Give it up, Plasmius," wheezed Danny, pressing more confidence into his voice than he had in the whole rest of his body. "My mom doesn't have to remember you to realize that you're a seriously crazed-up Fr—" Vlad lunged, catching Danny around the waist and slamming him to the ground, pressing one hand firmly over his mouth.

"Daniel," he said slowly, his tone cold, reproving, and sharper than the edge of a razor blade. "If you insist on calling me…_that_, I will not hesitate to hurt you."

'Like you're hesitating now,' thought Danny coldly, glaring savagely at Vlad over his fellow half-ghost's hand.

The pressure on Danny's mouth decreased, and the moment he was free, he shot away, putting as much distance between Vlad and himself as was possible. His heart hammered in his chest, his veins pumped full of adrenaline and indignant fury. And, if for no reason other than to be defiant, the words slipped out, careless and surly.

"Fruit Loop."

…

Outside, Maddie was trying to be patient. Fear and confusion clawed at the back of her mind, threatening to send her into hysterics, but fogged over somewhat by her own naturally insatiable curiosity. Yes, her current surroundings were unfamiliar to her, and, no, she couldn't recall ever having set eyes on—oh, what was his name?—Vlad, but he seemed friendly enough, and at the moment he was the only person who could help her. Did she think she could trust him? It was too soon to tell. This conclusion, of course, set Maddie deeper into her reflective mood. He had promised to "explain things" to her, to answer as many of her questions as he was able to, but did that mean she could believe what he said? How could she know whether or not he was telling her the truth? She had no reason to suspect that he would lie to her, and she _wanted_ to trust him. That was the thing—she wanted to put her faith in him, wanted desperately for someone she could rely on in this bizarre and frightening situation.

Could Vlad be that person? Maddie hugged her arms closer to herself, sighing heavily. As it was, the only thing about him that she could be sure of was that this mansion, castle, _whatever_ that he appeared to live in was haunted, and that he had risked his own safety to rescue her from the monsters that inhabited it. Well, he had rushed into the room for her. That counted as a rescue attempt, at the very least. Personally, Maddie was certain that she could have fought the ghosts off herself—she hadn't been doing such a bad job of it before Vlad had shown up—but he had been willing to face the possibility of injury to save her, and that was the point.

'He doesn't look like he'd stand much of a chance in a battle with a ghost, though,' thought Maddie, a bemused smile lighting her face. It faded quickly, shrinking away as Maddie narrowed her eyes to stare at the door Vlad had slammed in her face. That was another thing he would have to explain, she decided.

"What is taking him so long in there?" She exhaled noisily through her nose. "If he was planning to be all day, he should've let me know." Maddie felt her curiosity begin to take over as she drew closer to the door, one hand reaching out for the doorknob.

"Maybe I should just remind him that I'm out here," she reasoned, her fingers brushing cold bronze. "Just in case he forgot." She glanced around her guiltily to ascertain that no one else was present.

The door wasn't locked, but before Maddie could open it, there came a deafening crash from within the room, and Vlad charged out, nearly knocking her over in his hurry.

"Whoa!" Arms flailing madly, Maddie latched desperately onto Vlad's sleeve to stop herself from falling. "Where's the fire?"

Vlad caught her arm and helped her regain her balance, keeping one hand on hers in order to preserve the physical contact, however platonic and unintentional it was. "Maddie!" he cried. "I am so sorry! I had no idea you were—"

Maddie cut him off, waving one hand dismissively. "Don't worry about it," she said. "It was an accident. They happen." Her face grew serious. "The boy, though—is he all right? Did something happen?"

Boy? Did she mean Daniel?

"Oh…er…yes, of course, the boy." Vlad laughed nervously. "No, no, he's fine. He's just had a little bump on the head. He's out cold, now, of course—" this statement seemed to be funny for a reason Maddie couldn't quite place. "—but he'll be right as rain in oh, say an hour or two?" Vlad took the opportunity to tuck Maddie's hand into the crook of his arm. She glanced up at him thoughtfully. Vlad returned her gaze with a slow, velvety, (and, though he would never admit it, very well-practiced) smile. In response, Maddie raised an eyebrow and reclaimed her hand.

"You know, you still owe me an explanation for…this." she informed him, gesturing widely as if to convey just what she meant by the word.

Vlad's smile faltered for only a second, and his fingers curled up on the tattered fabric of his sleeve that his beloved's hand had occupied for one swift and wonderful instant.

"And I fully intend to give you one," he said reassuringly. "I trust you have no objections to retiring to the library? It's right this way." He motioned down the hallway, extracting a key from his pocket as he did so. "I just want to be certain that no one interrupts Daniel's rest while we talk."

"Daniel?" asked Maddie.

Vlad spoke to her over his shoulder as he twisted the key into the keyhole on his door. It locked with an ominous-sounding click. "The boy. His name is Daniel."

"Oh." Maddie's face softened. "Is he your son?" Since Vlad's back was to her, she couldn't see his expression, but she saw him freeze, noticed the tension that built in his shoulders. The feeling that she ought to apologize crept up on her like someone else's shadow. But when Vlad finally turned, his expression was almost wistful.

"You could say that."

…

When Danny finally came to, he found that Vlad had set him on the bed, again. He tried to move, but pain shot up his spine like fire down a fuse and ignited an explosion of agony behind his eyes. Blinking back stars, the teen allowed his head to fall back onto the pillow. It felt like the back of his skull had been smashed in with a hammer. He groaned, sitting up slowly, cradling his head in his hands. The pain was intense, but Danny could feel it already ebbing away. That was one of the perks of being half-ghost: you healed quickly.

Without the physical distraction of his aching head, however, Danny's thoughts were drawn inexorably back to the situation he found himself in. Under normal circumstances—well, as normal as circumstances could get for Danny—he would already have gone ghost and would be speeding through the halls of Vlad's castle to find his mother and kick some billionaire butt. But at the moment, Danny was facing a slight obstruction to his usual game plan.

Usually, the fact that a door was locked was a negligible detail to Danny- he'd gained a sort of disregard for the things in general once he'd realized that he could simply phase through them at will. So he'd laughed, at first, when Vlad had produced a key from his pocket and flourished it at him with a gleeful smile.

"You're gonna lock the door?" he'd mocked, mildly puzzled. "Gee, that's _awful_. If only I had ghost powers that I could use to walk through walls—oh, wait, I do!"

The grin never left Vlad's face. "But Maddie doesn't know that, does she? And _normal _fourteen-year-old boys can't get out of locked rooms without the key."

As the implication of these words had hit him, Danny winced. Vlad was right about that one. If his mom knew that the door was locked, and Danny showed up a few minutes later without explanation, she would definitely be suspicious. And while she wasn't as quick to jump to the inevitable paranormal explanation that seemed to be second nature to his father, she wasn't stupid; there was always the chance that she would put two and two together, and that would equal serious trouble for Danny.

So Danny had quickly weighed his options and decided that the only way for him to avoid that unpleasant possibility was to make sure that Vlad never got the opportunity to lock him in. Grasping for the last wisps of spectral energy within him, Danny shaped a glittering sphere of ectoplasm into the air and launched it at Vlad. Plasmius produced a rosy shield with one careless hand and sent the attack hurtling back at its creator. Danny barely dodged it; he felt the sizzling heat of the blast as it skimmed past his face. He maneuvered desperately mid-air, firing an irrefutably weak beam at his opponent that dissolved into nothing before Plasmius could even be bothered to deflect it. The older hybrid cackled cruelly.

"What's the matter, Daniel, getting tired? Maybe you should've taken that nap, after all."

Danny snorted. "It wouldn't make much of a difference, Plasmius. I could beat you in my sleep." It was a blatant lie, and they both knew it.

Vlad broke out into astonished laughter at the younger hybrid's tenacity. "Is that so? Care to test that little theory of yours?" Plasmius sprouted three copies, and the ghosts advanced on Danny like a conquering army. "Because, you see, I have a little theory of my own. It's called 'Four of me can beat one of you.'"

Four simultaneous beams of violent pink ecto-energy hit Danny at the same time, sending white-hot pain tearing through the teen's body. It felt like every nerve in his body was on fire, filling his vision with blinding light before everything went black.

Vlad swooped forward to catch Danny's body as the boy fainted, reverting back to his human form as his feet touched the floor.

"I do apologize, Daniel," he sighed dramatically. "I may have overdone it just a bit with that last attack, but, as amusing as I find your ridiculous, empty threats, I have somewhere else I need to be right now."

…

Maddie stared intently at the hands folded in her lap. "I'm telling you, man," she assured Vlad sincerely. "That's the last thing I remember."

Vlad crossed his arms and leaned back in his armchair. "Very well. What else can you remember?"

"You mean, like, about anything?" Maddie raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't we start with the basics?" suggested Vlad, smiling in what he hoped was a comforting manner. "What do you remember about yourself?"

"Um, okay." Maddie glanced sideways nervously, a thoughtful frown creasing her forehead. "Basics, huh? My name is Madeline Henries, and…" she paused. "I'm eighteen. I have a sister named Alicia. My favorite color is blue." She smiled shyly at Vlad. "Is any of this helpful?"

"It's all extremely helpful," he reassured her. "I have to know how much of your memory the accident erased if I hope to begin to repair the damage."

Maddie frowned. "You keep referring to 'the accident,'" she said. "What do you mean by that? What happened to me?"

"All in good time, Maddie," replied Vlad glibly. "But first I'd like to correct you on a few small points."

"What do you mean?" Maddie asked, a little frightened.

"It would appear," said Vlad, his face suddenly serious. "That the accident has wiped out nearly five years of your memories." It was a bit of a stretch, he knew, since she was obviously physically younger, but if he told her that she was still in college, she would undoubtedly realize that she had no reason to be in his home.

Maddie reacted much the same way Vlad expected her to; she gasped, then drew back as if he had hit her.

"W-what?" she cried. "You can't be serious!"

"I'm afraid I am, Maddie." Vlad reached out a hand to her, but she didn't even seem to notice it. "You're twenty-two. You graduated from college last year, and you've been working for me for almost a year."

Maddie opened and closed her mouth several times, fighting for words that didn't want to come. "I…" she managed finally. "I don't believe you. How can you expect me to believe you?"

"I know it's difficult to accept, Maddie, but—"

"Difficult to accept?" Maddie cut him off angrily. "You're telling me that I worked like a dog to get accepted to the University of Wisconsin and I can't even _remember_ any of the time I spent there! I've lost _years _of my life! Poof! Gone!" She stood, waving her arms for emphasis…or out of rage, Vlad couldn't quite tell which. "And on top of that," she added, her voice lowering and cooling significantly. "I don't even know who you are." She met his gaze solidly, and the sudden eye contact threw Vlad of his concentration significantly.

"Yes," he muttered, forcing a charming smile onto his lips. "Of course. Where is my head? You don't remember who I am."

"Nope," quipped Maddie unhelpfully.

Vlad's confidence was dampened by Maddie's swap from curious and helpless to challenging and annoyed, but he didn't let it show. He stood and put an arm around her shoulders, feeling a spike of triumph surge through him as she allowed herself to be lead back to the sofa. Her expectant frown, however, never faltered.

"Maddie," he said, his voice low and soothing. "Please try to calm down. You may not remember me, but I know you, and I know that you're a reasonable young woman. I understand that this is a shock, but I'm trying my best to sort it out. It would be much easier for the both of us if you could grant me a little faith. Is that too much to ask?"

"I guess not," conceded Maddie, displaying the very strength and level-headedness that Vlad had so admired in her during their college days. "This whole situation is just totally weird. And if you know me as well as you claim that you do, you know I don't like to accept anything without proof." She removed Vlad's arm from her shoulders and looked at him appraisingly. "So if you could _prove_ your claim, I think it would be much easier for me to trust you." The smug expression that settled over her features was much too similar to one that Vlad had seen on Daniel's face on many an occasion.

Vlad's smile slipped for only a second. She wanted proof? He'd give her proof. They had been close friends for the four years leading up to the accident that destroyed his life; he certainly knew a thing or two about her.

"All right, then," said Vlad calmly. "Let's see…your middle name is Jennifer, your birthday is June 6, you grew up in Chicago, and…" he grinned. "You've had an interest in ghosts since you were seven and have subsequently drawn up plans for a portal that would allow you to access the alternate world that you believe they inhabit. Is that sufficient?" he asked with a winsome smile.

Maddie closed her mouth slowly and blinked. "Yeah, that'll do," she replied softly. When she looked at Vlad again, it was with a new set of eyes-eyes wide and blind and desperate with the horrible, smothering realization that he was telling the truth. She placed her hands on Vlad's chest to steady herself and drew a shaky breath.

"Maddie, are you all right?" asked Vlad.

"Just…give me a sec," she near-whispered, swallowing hard. Then, with a sound like gasp, she burst into tears.

"I'm so sorry this happened." Vlad's voice was unbearably soft and kind as he wrapped his arms around the quietly sobbing girl. In response, she let out a pained wail and buried her face in his shirt. "There, there. Don't worry, my dear, everything will be okay." The huge grin that split Vlad's face did nothing to affect the gentle, sympathetic tone of his words. He stroked Maddie's hair tenderly as she wept, unable to control the thrill that shocked his heart as he realized who it was he held; how perfectly his plan had turned out, after all; how completely he had triumphed.

Maddie's sobs grew less intense, and her breathing evened out with just the slightest trace of an occasional hiccup. Vlad's smile was replaced with a hurt expression as she pulled away, wiping her nose unceremoniously of her sleeve.

"Oh, gosh, I'm sorry about that," she sniffed, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. "I'm being a major ditz. I, like, totally lost control there."

"It's quite understandable," replied Vlad, the smile returning to his lips. He cupped Maddie's chin and turned her face toward him. "You're handling this better than I would in your position, I must say."

Maddie gave a half-hearted, slightly bashful smile. "I'm trying to optimistic," she informed him. "I mean, I trust you, right? And you seem to care about me."

'Ah, if only you knew, Maddie,' thought Vlad longingly. He had considered telling Maddie that they had been engaged before she "lost her memories," but he realized that, since it was doubtful that she was madly in love with him at the moment, it would only place unneeded pressure on her and make things between the two of them uncomfortable. That, and he couldn't really think of a way to bring it up. No, it was best to just let time take its course. He would have her soon enough, and Daniel would follow, just as he had planned it.

Maddie sniffled discreetly, and Vlad caught her watching him out of the corner of his eye. She looked away hastily when she saw his notice, more out of instinct than actual embarrassment, and her voice was once again steady as she announced, "I think we should do this more professionally."

Vlad raised a careful eyebrow.

"You know," said Maddie, gesturing distractedly. "Like we're meeting for the first time. Just pretend that it's the first day I came to work for you. It'll make it less obviously awkward. Here, I'll go first." She held out a hand and gave Vlad her most engaging smile. "I'm Maddie Henries. I'm here for the, um, position- we spoke on the phone. It's totally awesome to finally meet you in person, er, Mr. Vlad."

Vlad laughed out loud as he accepted Maddie's mock handshake. He had forgotten the endearingly quirky sense of humor that had kept him and Jack laughing almost non-stop during their time at the University of Wisconsin. He hadn't realized how much he had missed it until then.

"Ms. Henries," he complied good-humouredly, privately relishing the ability to address Maddie by her maiden name. "I must say I was very impressed by your resume. It will be an honor to have you as a member of the team here at VladCo."

Maddie beamed. "Thank you, Mr. Vl—"

"Masters," Vlad corrected her helpfully.

"Mr. Masters," she amended. "Now, I just had a couple _tiny _questions about my employment."

"Ask away," said Vlad amiably, waving one hand graciously.

Maddie cleared her throat. "What will I be, ah, doing, exactly?"

"Officially? You are an intern working in accounting." Vlad paused deliberately at the lucid curiosity on Maddie's face. He waited.

She realized what he was doing and readily prompted, "But _unofficially_?"

Vlad grinned. "Why don't you let me show you?"

…

"Jazz, I need your help!" Danny burst into his sister's room in a rush of panic, desperation, and frantic breath. All his other options were exhausted; she was his last hope. As much as he dreaded it, Danny knew that he was going to have to enlist Jazz to help him save their mother from Vlad's clutches, even if it meant he would have to reveal his secret to her (and he could see that this was probably what it would take to convince Jazz that he wasn't going crazy).

"Whoa, Danny, relax!" Jazz set down the book she was reading (a different one than she'd been occupying herself with on the jet- this one was even thicker; a fact that made Danny's head hurt slightly) and looked at her brother with concern. "What's wrong?"

Danny caught his sister by the shoulders and faced her with all the urgency he could muster, though he couldn't help but feel that it wasn't close to what the situation called for. "Jazz, something's happened to Mom, and I need you to help me get her back to normal."

Jazz regarded him with a measure of detachment. "Danny, Mom hasn't been 'normal' for a very long time, and I don't think there's anything either one of us can do about that. Believe me; I've tried. Now, if you'll excuse me, I was reading."

"No, Jazz, you don't understand." Danny took the book from her hands and flung it over his shoulder. She made a noise of protest, but Danny placed himself in her line of sight. "Just…listen to me for a second, okay? Mom's in trouble, and I can't save her on my own. And before you decide that I'm insane, there's something I want to show you."

Jazz watched, wide-eyed, as her younger brother took a step back and heaved a deep breath. She knew what was coming, and yet she hadn't thought Danny would tell her so soon.

Danny braced himself for Jazz's reaction.

"I'm going ghost," he announced.

…

"You built all this?" Maddie's voice was hushed with wonder as she took in the great, gleaming expanse of humming machines and sparkling tabletops that comprised Vlad's lab.

"With your help, yes," Vlad lied fluidly, spreading an arm as if to present the room to her. "This is the most technologically advanced ghost research laboratory in existence, and I owe that fact entirely to you, Maddie. Without you and your brilliant ideas and innovative approach, I do not doubt that this room would not be half as impressive as it is."

It wasn't a complete lie, Vlad reasoned. He had reverse-engineered much of his equipment by studying the absurd line of "Fenton" products, and, knowing Jack as he did, the majority of them were probably Maddie's design, anyway. At least those of the ridiculous weapons that actually _worked_ probably were.

"Righteous," came the quiet verdict, and Vlad's smile stretched.

"It is rather 'righteous,' isn't it?" he chuckled. "But you haven't even seen the best part."

Maddie considered him skeptically. "It gets better?"

"Oh, yes," Vlad assured her. "Do you recall those plans you started in your senior year of high school?"

"You mean the sketches I drew up for my ghost portal?"

"Those are the very ones I mean." Vlad placed a hand at the small of Maddie's back and turned her to face the far wall, where the Plasmius Portal stood in all its glory. Recognizing the hurried shape she had scribbled so carelessly on a piece of notebook paper during her high school Calculus class, her eyes grew slowly wider, as if she was awaking from a dream, and her mouth slipped open in speechless awe.

"Is that…?" Her voice faltered.

"Yes, Maddie." Vlad stood behind her and clamped a hand on both of her shoulders, leaning down to whisper dramatically in her ear. "That's your Ghost Portal."

Maddie stood mute for a full ten seconds more, trembling hands held to her mouth like a young woman seeing her boyfriend down on bended knee with a diamond ring clutched in two nervous, sweaty fingers. Then, without warning, she let out a shriek of joy and spun around to throw her arms around Vlad's neck.

…

"Oh, no!" said Jazz loudly, her total lack of acting ability very apparent in her flat tone and wooden expression. "A ghost!"

Danny crossed his arms and sighed. "All right. How long have you known?" he demanded.

Jazz dropped her act like it pained her. "Since the Spectra thing," she admitted, relief unmistakable in her voice.

"Why didn't you tell me you knew?"

"I wanted you to tell me when you were ready," replied Jazz with a shrug. "And no, I haven't told Mom and Dad. I mean, come on, you're under enough pressure as it is without me adding to it. Besides," –and here she bestowed a sweet, genuine smile on her brother— "you're not doing anything wrong. I'm actually really proud of how you've been using your powers. That's why I've been doing my best to cover for you."

Danny felt his mouth curl up into a ridiculous grin, possessed by the strange, but not unfamiliar, urge to hug her. But there was plenty of time for that later- right now, they needed to get Vlad away from Maddie.

"Thanks, Jazz. Now, I need you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you."

* * *

Ugh, please excuse my terrible attempt at 80s slang. XP

Questions? Comments? Complaints? Drop me review!

Please?


	4. Chapter 4 A Jazz in Shining Armor

**Disclaimer**: Hmmmmm...nope, still not mine.

SO MUCH LOVE to all my reviewers-seriously, you guys are all amazing, and this chapter is for you!

**Wishes for Wings**- Thanks so much! I tried to keep the interaction true to the show, as Danny and Jazz's relationship is one of the elements that I love about it so much. Haha, it's not weird, no-I'm sure Vlad would be thrilled to hear it. XD But, secretly? I'm trying to make it seem plausible on purpose, because if it's obvious throughout the entire story tha she's going to reject him, then where's the tension? I mean, who knows what could happen? I'm so glad you like her! Writing teen Maddie is so scarily close to writing an OC, which means I'm mega nervous about everything I make her say. Dude, you are, like, totally excellent. XD

**Shining Zephyr**-Don't you worry, Vlad's got his coming. :D I I'm so glad! Seriously, being told that the characters are IC is probably one of the best compliments I could get, since it's the characters themselves that inspired me to write a fic for them, not what I can make them do. You're so kind, and I hope this update gives you soemthing to cheer about!

**mystery writer5775**-Haha, wait for it! It's coming.

**MutantLover09**- Jazz is definitely going to put a damper on Vlad's plans, you've got that down, but who's to say that she won't cause a few problems of her own? Oooh, hinthint. XD I happen to be a Vlad fan, too; I think his supreme jerkiness is just another irresistable trait to love. I have no idea why. Like the show but better?!?!?! Thank you so much! Seriously, I am blushing. You are so kind. And totally groovy. XD

**Charmed-and-More**-Thanks, I'm notoriously fond of Vlad's cursing habits. XD I'm glad you're enjoying the story-hope you like this chapter, too!

**Thunderstorm101**-It might not be pretty...

**Rya Starling**-I'm sure Vlad would love that. XD Well, I don't want to give too much away, but since the plot depends pretty heavily on Jack's absence, he won't be swooping in, say, in the next chapter. But I can assure that he'll play a big role when he finally does show up:D

* * *

Jazz wrung her hands restlessly, biting her lip and watching the door as she paced. Despite her protests, Danny had gone ghost to find where Vlad had taken their mother, leaving her behind to wait and hope that the billionaire didn't catch him. True, she was thrilled that her brother had finally knowingly entrusted her with his secret, even if it was only out of desperation, but it did nothing to relieve the feeling of uselessness that took hold of her at the thought of being utterly unable to help him. She was so proud of him, of the responsibility and courage he had shown in the way he used his powers, not to mention the integrity it took to keep fighting in the face of the dangers he had been confronted with. Jazz respected her little brother more than she could say, and she was confident in his ability to persevere, but she was also sure that she would never, ever stop worrying about him. Of course this last fact wasn't helped by the fact that she now knew Vlad Masters to be a fanatical, mentally unbalanced half-ghost with twenty times the power that Danny had.

She gave a cry of surprise as Danny phased back into the room via the wall behind her.

"Danny! You're okay!" She flew to him and caught him up in a smothering hug. Then she pushed him out to arm's length and asked sharply, "Can't you use the door?"

"Sorry." Danny smiled sheepishly.

Jazz crossed her arms. "Did you find out where Mom and Vlad are?"

"Yeah," replied Danny. "They're in Vlad's lab. I think Vlad might've sensed me, but he can't do anything if it's you who shows up."

Jazz nodded, determined. Good. This was something she could do; a way that she could help. "Don't worry, Danny. I'll keep that creep away from Mom. In the meantime, you should get some rest; I'm surprised you're still standing after what's happened to you, today."

Danny pulled a face. "While I appreciate the concern, I'd rather not. I don't wanna spend any more time in Vlad's room than I have to," he told her honestly.

"I know, Danny," said Jazz kindly. "But you should. If we're going to help Mom, we both have to be in top condition. I'll get you out of there as soon as I can, I promise." She took his hand and gave it a final, supportive squeeze before hurrying out of the room.

…

Maddie ran the tips of her fingers over the controls of the Ghost Portal, a dizzying mixture of joy and disbelief in her eyes. Vlad, however, had begun to regret bringing her to the lab at all-she'd hardly given him a second look since they'd arrived. Instead, she had commenced an excruciatingly careful examination of each assorted gadget and every piece of weaponry in the room, occasionally stopping to ask for an explanation of its mechanics or the scientific theory behind it, but more often simply studying it for a moment before nodding in understanding and moving on.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of being ignored, Vlad broke the silence with a soft, "Maddie?"

She spun around to face him, surprise flitting across her face to reveal verecund embarrassment.

"Sorry, Mr. Masters. I got distracted."

"It's quite all right," Vlad told her genially. He opened his mouth to continue, but was cut off by a rush of animated enthusiasm from Maddie.

"It's just all so fascinating," she blurted, almost breathless. "I mean, some of this stuff is based off ideas I've had for ages, and you can't imagine how wild it is to see them actually _completed._" She let her gaze trace a long sweep across the room, eventually settling on the man who had brought her there. "It's so awesome. I can't even begin to describe the feeling."

Vlad grinned. "I'm sure I understand it perfectly," he contested fluidly, coming closer to Maddie as he did.

She laughed and brought her palm to her forehead, vaguely mortified. "Oh, duh," she near-groaned. Her nose scrunched up in humiliation. "You helped make it, too. I totally forgot."

Her blatant obliviousness discouraged Vlad very little. What did discourage him was the fact that she had turned away from him and diverted her attention to what was essentially his own version of the Fenton Thermos.

"What's this for?" she asked, holding it up with a curious smile. "Ghost soup?"

Vlad sighed.

…

Maddie wasn't sure how much longer she could take it. The job she seemed to suddenly have with Mr. Masters was quickly proving to be one of the best occupational opportunities she could ever have imagined for herself—regardless of whether or not she could recall any of it—but if she didn't know better she would be certain that he was hitting on her. Everything she could remember of the man consisted of suggestive smiles, sharp glances, and loaded words. Could it be that she had forgotten something…significant? Had she and Vlad…? No, that didn't even bear thinking about. He was her boss—wasn't he?—and that was entirely too unprofessional. And maybe she was just imagining things, anyway. It was possible, she supposed, that she was reading to far into his behavior; maybe that was just the way he _was_.

In any case, he continued to give her the distinct impression that he was trying to flirt with her, and as flattering as the attention was—especially coming from an admittedly dashing older man—Maddie couldn't help but be put on edge by it.

So she continued to act as though she didn't notice it, throwing her interest into any and everything else with uninhibited exuberance. It wasn't hard, certainly, once she had the lab to examine; she could very easily have spent hours alone in the room, pouring over the stores of data in the massive computers and studying the calculations that had eventually produced the functioning Ghost Portal. If she were being perfectly honest with herself, she probably could have spent hours staring at the Ghost Portal itself. But every time she allowed her concentration to slip even slightly, she would notice Mr. Masters again. This awareness of him, and the acute perception of the affect that this awareness had on her, soon made Maddie more nervous than an Olympic runner crouched at the starting line.

'You're just being paranoid,' she told herself fervidly. But she could feel Vlad's eyes on her back, and the silence was stifling.

"Sooooo…" she drawled, desperate to alleviate the awkward atmosphere. She faced her employer with a curious expression. "How is it that you ended up hiring me, anyway?"

Vlad raised any eyebrow. He hadn't expected that question-at least not so soon. He hadn't had time to prepare an answer. But then again, he was an accomplished liar. "I often hire employees from my old alma mater," he told her smoothly, which wasn't itself a lie. "I've made sure that the dean always keeps an eye out for promising students."

"And I was a promising candidate for office work?" Maddie made a face. Somehow, that didn't sit well with her at all.

"No," chuckled Vlad in response. "But you were rather infamous for your experiments. And when I heard that there was a brilliant young woman with a biochemistry major and an inclination towards paranormal experimentation, well…I just couldn't let an opportunity like that slip by."

Something niggled at the corner of Maddie's mind. "Was it just me?"

"Hm?"

"Was I the only one working on them? My experiments, I mean."

Vlad shrugged. "To the best of my knowledge. Why?"

"Oh, no reason." Maddie's shoulders seemed to droop in disappointment.

Vlad was not satisfied with this response, and she sensed it. She looked up at him and smiled weakly. "I used to get teased in high-school for my interest in ghosts," she admitted sadly. "That, and the fact that I was, like, super obsessed with math." A sigh. "I guess I was just hoping that college would be different."

Vlad laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "People can be cruel when they are faced with someone that cannot be easily sorted into a category that they are familiar with. The closed-minded are often threatened by what they do not understand."

A moment passed between them—a thought passed over Maddie's face. She reached up hesitantly and covered Vlad's hands with hers. "It's lucky for me that you found me, then, huh, Mr. Masters?"

She didn't mean it the way Vlad wanted her to mean it; her smile was wry, but innocent and grateful, with no hint that she realized the implications her words might have. But there was still a form of affection in her voice, even it wasn't the sort he hoped would develop eventually, and beggars couldn't be choosers, could they? He turned his hand over under hers so that the two were clasped.

"I assure you, Maddie; _I _am the lucky one." His tone was thick with something somehow simultaneously warm and icy; something that gave Maddie chills and made her frown.

All right, he was definitely hitting on her.

Maddie gave a nervous, high-pitched titter and edged away from him. Regardless of what might or might not have happened between the two of them in the past—and she desperately hoped that nothing had happened, as it made her sick to think that she would compromise such an amazing job for something as petty as a fling with her boss—right now Vlad's attentions were unnerving, and she would rather not deal with them.

"Well, I wouldn't want to prove you wrong on that, Mr. Masters." She continued to laugh uneasily. "So, if you like, you can just leave me alone in here for a while so I can get re-acquainted with all of the equipment in the lab. I'd like to be useful again as soon as possible."

Vlad shook his head. "Nonsense, my dear. You've just been through a terrible ordeal—what sort of employer would I be to expect you to be working again so soon?" He placed an arm around her shoulders and began to guide her out of the lab, though she threw back a longing glance at it over her shoulder. "There's still so we need much to discuss."

"There is?" Maddie cast him a distressed look.

"I'm afraid so, Maddie." At the disheartened expression that clouded her face, he cupped her chin and added, "Now, now, there's no need to look so glum. We have plenty of time—I can go as slowly as you like."

Once again, there was the double-edge to his glittering words. Maddie opened her mouth to respond when the door to the lab flew open with a startled crash. She jumped in surprise. Standing in the doorway was a thin, red-haired girl wearing a blue headband and a murderous expression.

…

Danny was tired; he had to admit it. The fights he'd had with Plasmius that day—all of which he had lost, which infuriated him—had left him completely drained, but he couldn't bring himself to use the older hybrid's bed. It felt too wrong. So, instead, he decided to make Vlad regret his decision to lock Danny in his bedroom, and promptly set to rummaging through all of his belongings. There were rather more pictures of his mother than Danny was perfectly comfortable with, but other than that, the room was almost completely impersonal.

There was a closet full of crisp-looking suits and shirts starched until they looked and felt like cardboard, all perfect carbon copies of the one that Danny had seen Vlad don a dozen times before. A search of his drawers revealed only plain white socks rolled into tight, perfect balls and arranged in neat rows and—oh god, _ew_—Vlad's underwear, which had, Danny noted with the same disgusted fascination usually reserved for car crashes, been folded and ironed so neatly that the corners appeared sharp enough to cut.

It wasn't until he reached the bathroom that things got interesting. Danny had never given much thought to Vlad's grooming habits, but if had, he certainly wouldn't've expected the billionaire to use so many…products. The cabinet behind Vlad's bathroom mirror was jammed with meticulously organized bottles, jars, and boxes—everything from moisturizer to toothpaste to under-eye cream. Danny grinned.

"Blackmail, here I come," he chuckled, sifting through the collection to acquire the most humiliating of the lot. Near the back of the cabinet, his fingers found a tiny, unassuming orange pill bottle, which he regarded with interest.

"Sleeping pills? I didn't think Vlad had trouble sleeping." Danny shook the bottle and found that it was almost full. 'These could come in handy, later,' he decided, tucking the bottle into his pocket. He restored the rest of Vlad's cosmetics to their intended place and shut the mirror cabinet with a calculating grin.

…

Jazz had to resist the urge to gawk at the sight that met her eyes when she threw open the door to Vlad's lab. The billionaire glared at her, and for a moment Jazz was sure that his eyes were glowing red—but that was surely just her imagination. What really threw her, though, was the girl next to him. His arm was draped across the shoulders of an incredibly familiar figure; a girl who couldn't have been much older than Jazz was, her violet-colored eyes wide in shock.

'_Mom?'_ The thought was almost too ridiculous to believe, but Jazz had flipped though her parents old college yearbooks on more than one occasion when she was younger, and she was left with no doubt in her mind. Danny had been telling the truth. Of course, it wasn't as though she had expected to discover that Danny had lied to her, but the more logical side of herself that Jazz had nurtured unremittingly throughout her life had refused to release the small possibility that perhaps her little brother had been mistaken. But, as Jazz admitted rather hysterically, he hadn't been,

The impulse to rush forward and snatch her mother away from Vlad was almost irrepressible. Jazz clenched her hands into fists and forced them to her sides.

'Remember what you and Danny talked about,' she thought firmly. She was supposed to stay with Vlad and her mother until she could find a way to unlock the room that Danny was in—that was it. They would come up with a way to right the lies the despicable, slimy older man had told Maddie later. Right now, the objective was just to keep him from telling her any more. They had to patient, had to wait until the ideal circumstances presented themselves. Had to wait until there was the slightest chance that Maddie would believe them.

"Uh, heeeeeey, Mr. Masters," she greeted Vlad awkwardly, giving her mother a little wave.

"Jasmine," Vlad ground out between clenched teeth. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I was just bored," replied Jazz, her voice trembling and squeaky with nerves. "You know. I was done unpacking and I decided to come see what you were up to." She tucked her arms behind her back and gave Vlad the sweetest, most innocent smile she could muster. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Danny went, would you?"

It was Maddie who responded. "Danny? As in Daniel? Do you know him?"

She sounded so worried that Jazz began to question whether or not she had really forgotten that she was Danny's mother. "Yeah," she replied, a little uncertain of how she should address the disquieting, unfamiliar figure of her teenage mother. "He's my younger brother."

Maddie frowned thoughtfully. "Do…do I know you?" she asked, her voice almost quavering with anguish.

Jazz attempted to answer her in the affirmative, but Vlad cut her off. His face was flushed deep scarlet with a rage that lowered his voice to a growl. "Maddie, this is Jasmine," he said, locking eyes with Danny's sister in a glare that dared her to look away. She didn't. "You've never formally met."

"Really?" Maddie's mouth twisted sideways, and she turned to Jazz. "You seem so familiar. In any case, it's very nice to meet you, Jasmine."

"Jazz," Jazz tore her eyes away from Vlad to correct her with a friendly smile. "I'm assuming you met Danny?"

"Sort of," said Maddie softly.

"What do you mean?" asked Jazz, allowing herself to shoot a grin at Vlad, who was squirming uncomfortably in anticipation of where this questioning would lead.

He decided to intervene. "There was, as it were, a bit of an accident," he cut in, eyeing Jazz pointedly. "It appears that Daniel was playing around in the lab again, and he caused an explosion. He must have hit his head; he's been out cold ever since." He fixed Jazz with a tired smile. "He's not seriously injured, but I doubt he'll learn his lesson. You know how your brother can be."

"I know," said Jazz, her eyes darting to Maddie, then back to Vlad. _I know what you've done, _the look said. _I know who she is._

Vlad heard the unspoken message and drew back a little. "Ah, you always were such a smart girl, Jasmine."

Maddie looked puzzled. Vlad hadn't mentioned the ghosts—why not? Did Jazz not know that the castle was haunted? A disapproving scowl crossed her mouth. It was possible that Vlad believed he was protecting the girl somehow by not telling her, but in the end it was downright cavalier and incautious of him to not inform her of something that could prove dangerous to her—it had been ghosts that injured Danny, though Maddie couldn't say with any certainty that the accident that caused her memory loss hadn't been his fault. Regardless, she felt that Jazz should know about the resident specters—the deceitful ghost-boy, at least, and the horde of vampire ghosts that had been the true cause of Danny's current unconscious status. She made a mental note to bring it up with Vlad when they spoke later.

In the mean time, Jazz provided the perfect distraction to divert Vlad's attention away from Maddie, and she fully intended to take advantage of the girl's presence.

"So Jazz," she quipped in her friendliest tone. "How do you know Mr. Masters?"

"He's an old friend of my parents'," replied Jazz honestly. There was no need to lie about that—attending the same college as Vlad before hadn't caused Maddie to fall madly in love with him, so how could it hurt if she knew, now? "They went to college together."

"So your parents went to the University of Wisconsin, too?" Maddie asked.

Jazz nodded and laughed. "Yeah, but they were there ages ago—I think they graduated in 1984."

Maddie froze. "W-what?"

…

Danny couldn't pinpoint exactly when during his cheerful invasion of his archenemy's privacy he had decided to take a nap, but he was rudely awoken by the door of Vlad's room slamming open and Jazz screaming his name.

"Danny, you need to wake up!" she cried desperately, shaking her brother out of the warm world of sleep.

Danny batted her away. "What? What's wrong?" He blinked muzzily, feeling a prick of embarrassment as his brain kicked into gear and he realized just how stupid the question was.

Jazz paused, her urgency of moments before ebbing away to a faint, hesitant self-consciousness.

"Well," she muttered. "Um…"

The sound of Vlad's voice floated to Danny from the doorway where the billionaire was leaning, looking—for lack of a more fitting phrase—royally pissed off.

"Your _sister_," the older hybrid hissed. "Has caused your mother to go into hysterics."

Danny looked questioningly at Jazz, who smiled nervously. "I may have mentioned in front of Mom that it's 2005," she admitted thinly.

"So?"

"_So_?" snapped Vlad. "Daniel, Maddie thinks it's 1985!"

"Oh," said Danny, overcome with a feeling like swallowing live, wriggling ice. "That could be a problem."

"You think?" Vlad's tone dripped with venom. "She's locked herself in one of the guest bedrooms, and she's refusing to come out. I think…" he trailed off, aiming a look at Danny. "I think we might have to scare her out."

"We?" Danny raised an eyebrow. "I don't think _we _will be doing anything. Why should I help you?"

Vlad crossed his arms and regarded Danny calmly. "I suppose you don't have to," he said, shrugging. "I could do it myself."

Danny immediately recognized in this idea the basic formula he was trying to avoid, ie: Vlad plus Maddie minus Danny equals bad, and so he begrudgingly stood and faced the older hybrid with a scowl.

"Fine, Vlad. I'll help you."

* * *

Oh, Vlad, you are a manipulative bastard, and that is why I love you. 

Like it? Love it? Want more of it? How about a review? XD


	5. Chapter 5 Things Get Worse

At long last! Chapter 5 is here! I am deeply, deeply sorry for the billion-and-a-half-year wait--senior year of high school is eating up my life, and it just started! :O

Anyway, it's time for the **Disclaimer** (oh, there it is!): I don't own Danny Phantom, or any of the characters. I would not, however, be above stealing Vlad for a while. :D

Now to answer some of my wonderful reviewers:

**Shining Zephyr-**Haha, I think it's in Vlad's nature to be manipulative and evil and all the other things that go along with being bitter and alone. XD And it is in my nature to love him for it. -blush- One of the best on the site? You are way too nice, really. I can only say that I really hope you like this chapter, then! You are a dear, dear person, you really are. Thank you so much.

**Thunderstorm101- **Maddie definitely knows _something's_ up, but between Vlad lying to her every ten seconds, Jazz's slip-ups, and Danny's attempts to fix things, it could be a while before she figures out what that something is...

**doinstuff-** I think "charming and awkward at the same time" is the perfect way to describe Vlad. :) He's getting a bit more manipulative and evil than in previous chapters, but he'll be back to his old fumbling ways soon enough, I promise! Thank you for reading, and for the lovely review. I appreciate it more than I can say. :D

**TPcrazy-**a fav?! Really? Thank you! And I totally couldn't phrase any of that better myself. Thank you so much. I hope you like this chapter!

**MutantLover09-**Jazz tries, I'm sure. XD Hey, Vlad needs to look his best, right? Haha. I can see where you're coming from on that--I don't think it's quite occurred to Vlad that Maddie is really _18_ and he's a nice 40-something; he's too caught up in his success...for now, anyway. Hope you enjoy the chapter, and thank you x 1000 for the review!

**RyaStarling-** You might be spot-on with that...XD

**Wishes for Wings-** Vlad is a liar extrordinaire--you can be sure of that! And as for your other point...I don't want to say too much...mustn't give anything away, you know! Actually (and I totally forgot where I got it for a moment), I got her maiden name from the first name of Dr Henry Jekyll. But, gosh, your guess was so fitting! I feel like I should give you internet cookies for being awesome. :D Hope you like the chapter!

**Clueless.1- **Don't worry at all about the lapse in reviewing--my lapse in updating is truly shameful. I'm thrilled that you like the story. There isn't _too_ much butt-kicking in this chapter, but where Vlad and Danny are, a fight can't be too far behind! Hope you like the new chapter--thanks for the review!

**passionateartist**- It's a surprisingly endearing quality, isn't it? XD Thank you for the review! I hope you like this chapter. :)

**Data Seeker-** Thank you for the review. I appreciate it and the polite way in which you worded your complaint. I will keep a close eye on my language in the future. Thank you, and I hope you like this chapter.

**Risika135**-Thanks so much for the review! I'm sorry the update took forever, but I hope you like the chapter! :D

**goldacharmed**-I'm not sure what to say here besides thank you! Your review is so kind and sweet and...agh, I can't be coherent!! XD Really, thank you thank you thank you. I hope you like this chapter! :D

**werewolf5-** Thank you for the review. :) And, as for Maddie, I've been trying to keep her basically true to the character we're all familiar with in the show, while adding in a couple teen characteristics. For example, she tries to be the logical, collected, self she grew into in college, but she can still be very impulsive and thoughtless, as you will hopefully see in this chapter. And all the confusion she's going through will definitely take a toll on her. I promise, in future chapters, fun!teen!Maddie will show up in all her glory. Hopefully you still like the story until then. :)

Alrighty, this chapter is a bit heavier than they've been so far, but I promise I'll be back to classic, light-hearted DP fun and shenanigans by the next chapter! I just had to get some angst out of the way. XD And, angsty as it is, this chapter is still dedicated to my reviewers--you guys are the reason I keep pulling this story up and working on it when I can. I love you all. 3

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'This can't be happening.' Maddie wasn't crying; she wasn't exactly sure if she should be. At the moment, the only thing she could be sure of was that something felt irreparably _wrong_; a sensation that had been hanging over her like the enormous, razor-sharp pendulum in the Edgar Allan Poe story she'd had to read in high school. Part of her wanted to attribute this to the onset of her apparent amnesia, which of course had left her feeling lost and displaced and desperately confused. And, as this was the most logical and least troubling of the readily available explanations (especially considering the fact that some scrap of her consciousness seemed determined to blame ghosts for her current situation), Maddie was inclined to accept it.

But, ironically, there were too many holes in this rationalization for Maddie to feel completely justified in labeling it as the ultimate truth. Firstly, there was the matter of her memories; namely the fact that she was beginning to _remember _things, at least, she kind of was. At the moment, there was a haze of feelings and sounds swimming around somewhere behind her eyes, accompanied by occasional pangs of déjà vu so severe that Maddie felt like she was acting out a movie she had already seen. The strange part about this, though, was the fact that these memories always seemed to be—and there was the word, again—wrong. She still couldn't remember anything about Vlad other than what the past few hours had taught her—that he was wealthy, charming, and a little forward—but if he was to believed, the two of them had spent a lot of time, together. In the same vein, there was Danny and Jazz. Maddie had felt an intrinsic sense of protectiveness towards Danny from almost the moment she had first set eyes on him—once she'd gotten over her initial reluctance to trust him, of course. And the affection she felt for him still was enough to baffle her. She barely knew the boy, and yet the thought of him being hurt was almost enough to make her cry, and she was aware that, should she ever see any of the ghosts responsible for his injury again, most of the damage she would deal them would be for his sake. And as for Jazz, Maddie knew that the relief she'd felt when the redhead had burst into Vlad's lab was mostly because she provided an excellent distraction from Vlad, but there was also an underlying sense of joy just to _see_ the girl. It might not have been so unusual, had Vlad not assured her that she'd met neither Danny nor Jazz before.

It just didn't make sense—it didn't add up. How could she have such an affinity for two people she'd never met before, yet harbor such impartiality towards the employer who had not only granted her her dream job, but also helped her to build her Ghost Portal? Either someone somewhere had seriously screwed up an essential set of calculations, or Maddie was missing information crucial to her if she expected to make an accurate and logical judgment on the circumstances she found herself in.

Of course, the thing that was troubling her the most at the moment was something that Jazz had said; tossed out carelessly, as though it were an insignificant detail and not something that could throw an entire lifetime's worth of memories into question.

'How can it be 2005? It's impossible! I would be, like, _forty._' Maddie shuddered at the thought. (She also couldn't help thinking that, if this really was the 21st century, she was a little disappointed. There wasn't nearly as much chrome as she had expected, and absolutely nothing was hovering. It was almost pathetic.)

She took a deep breath, carefully tuning out the buzz her emotions were creating her mind so that she could think clearly. She needed this desperately—time, space to herself, an opportunity to just sit and _think. _Above all else, Maddie valued logic, and she consistently endeavored to keep a certain studious detachment from any situation she encountered. Usually, she failed. There was no doubt that Maddie was smart, that her though process was highly refined, had been carefully developed over the years, but there was an irrepressible spark of passion in her that often caused her to get carried away by emotion. It was a trait she found incredibly irritating in herself, and one that, unbeknownst to her, a certain Jack Fenton found remarkably endearing. So she sat, fuming, trying to focus on the problems she faced so she could then work out a solution.

Next to her, a lamp toppled off the nightstand. Maddie startled, jumping away and staring incredulously at the mess of porcelain splashed across the floor. There was no way she had done that…so how…? Someone—something—tapped her shoulder, and Maddie turned to find herself in unexpected proximity with the pale, grim face of the ashen-haired boy ghost. She let out a strangled cry of shock, propelling herself away from him, too stunned for the anger she had expected to feel upon seeing that deceptively kind face, again.

"Get away!" she howled desperately. Where had she put the Lipstick Laser? She searched her pockets frantically, turning up several unfamiliar devices that she tossed aside in her search. "Get _away_!" she repeated, more vehemently.

The ghost boy didn't respond; he looked upset, for some reason, and Maddie was seized with the completely unreasonable urge to comfort him. 'He hurt Danny,' she reminded herself. 'He's a ghost and he lied to you and he hurt Danny. Snap out of it!'

Finally finding the weapon she sought, Maddie swung around to face her enemy, firing a haphazard shot from the laser that the ghost boy dodged easily. It hit the wall, ricocheting back at her. Maddie gasped, closing her eyes and bracing herself for the inevitable impact. But the laser was not what hit her. Instead, Maddie felt a pair of arms close around her waist, followed by the collision of another body into hers that sent her tumbling to the floor. A tiny groan of pain escaped her.

"Are you all right, Mo—Maddie?"

The voice was familiar, but impossible. Maddie opened her eyes and stared in disbelief at her savior; the ghost boy looked back, concern etched into his expression. Immediately, her confusion and gratitude were buried under suspicion.

"I'm fine. Don't try anything funny, ghost." She pulled herself into a seated position and scooted back, away from the boy.

Danny winced at the unconscious insult. He knew he needed to stick to the plan—otherwise his mother might never come out of the room she had locked herself in—but he couldn't help the desire to make her like him.

"I just saved your life," he reminded her.

"Yeah, well, it's not the first time," snorted Maddie. "I don't know that this isn't another trick of yours. You and Count Ghostula."

Well, Danny had to admit, his mother's suspicions were dead-on. This time, at least. For a reason he couldn't quite place, he almost laughed, and it took the teen a moment to realize that the deep chuckle that filled the room suddenly was not his own.

"Very impressive," said Plasmius neatly, clapping slowly as he descended from the ceiling and landed square in front of Danny and his mother. Instinct took over, and Danny moved between Maddie and the billionaire before remembering what it was he was doing in the room in the first place.

Maddie sighed. "Why am I not surprised?" She steeled herself for another fight, holding out both hands in preparation to fire the Lipstick Laser. At both ghosts' amused expressions, she paused, glanced down at her hands. They were empty.

"No! I must've dropped the laser when—" She turned to Danny, her expression furious. "When _you_ tackled me! I knew that was just another one of your tricks! Any to think that for even the tiniest second I was grateful to you! How could I be so stupid?"

"You've gotta be kidding me!" cried Danny. "How was I supposed to know that you would accidentally almost shoot yourself?"

Maddie scowled. "How am I supposed to know? You're the evil ghost mastermind, here, not me."

"Well, I'd hardly call him a 'mastermind,'" drawled Plasmius with a grin. Danny shot him an angry look. Whose side was he on, anyway? Well, his own, Danny supposed, but at the moment, Danny was, too.

Now that was a disturbing thought. "I'm on Vlad's side…against my own mom? This is getting way too weird. Let's just get this over with."

Taking advantage of his relatively close proximity to Maddie, Danny grabbed his mother by the arm, planning to go intangible and pull her through the door with him. She yanked away, clearly surprised, staring at him with abject horror that Danny had not been expecting. As she backed away, he realized that what had seemed to him to be a quick, painless way to scare his mother out of the room had resulted in something that scared _him_, instead: the first time he had, while in ghost form, grabbed his mother with intent other than to protect her. He had purposefully meant to frighten her, to, in a way, hurt her. Danny backed away from his mother quickly, his face a dark mirror of hers. He felt suddenly sick.

Though she couldn't for the life of her explain why, Maddie felt betrayed. The ghost-boy was bad news, she had always known that. She shouldn't be so surprised that he had tried to hurt her. Now if only she could find the Lipstick Laser, she could make this fight a little less one-sided. But before Maddie could get to searching for the weapon properly, she found it thrust unceremoniously under her nose.

"Looking for this?" The fanged grin of the vampire ghost was infuriating. As Maddie snatched for the Laser, he pulled it out of reach, then brought it close to her face once more. Maddie stood for a long minute, her pale violet eyes locked onto the ghost's face, watching him with clear distaste. Plasmius felt unspeakably uncomfortable under that stare—it was far to close to the looks she had given him back in college whenever she had claimed that he was "hitting on her"—but he tried not to let it show. One of her eyebrows twitched dangerously, and he wavered. It was only for the briefest second, but it was enough time for Maddie to make a second attempt at the Laser. Plasmius barely plucked it out of her grasp, but, surely enough, her fingers closed only on air.

"Uh-uh-uh," scolded Plasmius, allowing his well-practiced arrogance to smooth down the spike of adrenaline Maddie's near-win had sent surging into his ecto-bloodstream. "You are quite the little troublemaker when you have this thing, and I really don't feel like dealing with that, again." He squeezed the Laser in his fist, releasing something that resembled a crumpled-up tissue made of steel. Maddie let out a squawk that reverberated somewhere between indignant anger and offended disbelief.

"Hey! I worked really hard on that!"

Plasmius was unmoved. "You shouldn't have tried to shoot me with it, then," he replied flatly. Then, his love of gloating took over, and he added. "I think we've learned a valuable lesson here, don't you? In the future, if you want to keep something, you'll aim it at someone else." While Plasmius was speaking, he was simultaneously advancing on the unarmed—and as a consequence, very frightened—Maddie, splitting into three copies as he did. She backed away, both hands raised in an automatic, though useless, defense.

"What do you want?" she demanded, bravely endeavoring to hide the tremble in her voice.

Plasmius seemed to consider her question for a moment. Then his thoughtful frown curled up eerily at the ends, and he replied, "Oh, you'll find that out soon enough, I promise. _Now_, boy!"

Danny, who had retreated to a far corner of the room, remembered his part in the plan Vlad had formed earlier, and now sped to where his mother stood cowering against the door in the face of the three Plasmius copies. Going intangible, he phased through the door, then reached back in, hooked his mother under the arms, and pulled her out after him. She let out an almighty shriek, and Danny immediately set her on the floor and rushed back to Vlad's still-locked bedroom.

Maddie hit the floor directly in front of a very surprised Jazz and Mr. Masters.

"Maddie!" Vlad reached out to help her up, and she accepted his arm gratefully. "Are you all right? What happened? You just appeared out of thin air!"

"There…were ghosts," wheezed Maddie, her short time spent intangible having clearly surprised the breath from her. Vlad felt a pang of regret that quickly blended into anger towards Daniel.

"Ghosts?" he asked, concern etched into his eyes, his expression, his voice.

Maddie nodded. "The same ghosts I saw earlier. The ones who hurt Danny."

"You aren't hurt, are you?" Jazz sounded timid, still embarrassed about the fact that it was her blunder that had sent Maddie into seclusion in the first place. But there was also a hint of anger in her voice—if Vlad had caused her mother any harm, he wasn't going to get away with it.

Maddie squinted at her, as if trying to remember who she was. "No, no, I'm fine," she said slowly.

Vlad and Jazz could see the exact moment when Maddie remembered why she had fled from them; her eyes grew very wide and panicked, and her mouth dropped open. Then she sucked in a sharp breath and held it, as if unsure of what her next move should be. Vlad, ever the level-headed businessman, quickly interceded.

"Maddie!" he blurted. "Jasmine had something she wanted to say to you." He turned to Jazz. "Didn't you Jasmine?"

"Uh, right!" agreed Jazz vehemently. "I…I wanted to apologize. About the joke I made earlier. I didn't know about the accident, and what I said was very tactless of me."

"Joke?" asked Maddie, puzzled.

"About the year," explained Jazz. "You remember; when l told you that it's 2005? I have no idea why I thought that would be funny. I'm very sorry if I upset you." Her smile was fleeting and apologetic, and soon it had disappeared all together. Jazz stared down at her feet, snatching a glance at her mother before looking away, again.

"It was…a joke?" Maddie wasn't entirely convinced, if only because she couldn't figure out why Jazz would make such a joke in the first place. Under what circumstances would that have been funny?

"Yes," Jazz assured her. "Just a harmless little joke."

"Well it obviously wasn't _harmless,_ Jasmine," scoffed Vlad, which earned him a glare from the girl he addressed.

"I said I was sorry," she muttered, but Maddie wasn't listening, anymore. The room she had just been forced out of had become suspiciously quiet—obviously devoid of all the ghostly activity it had previously been exhibiting. She approached the door carefully, pressed her ear against it. Nothing. She tested the handle, and to her surprise she found that it turned without resistance. The door had unlocked itself? That didn't make any sense. She turned to Vlad.

"Where's Danny?"

"Daniel?" asked Vlad, a hint of nerves in his voice. "Well, he's probably still in my bedroom where I left him to rest. Why?"

"We have to go get him and make sure he's safe." Maddie elbowed her way past Vlad and hurried down the hallway to the room she had seen her boss lock the injured teen into. "It seems that I keep getting attacked by those ghosts every time I'm by myself; it isn't safe for anyone to be alone in this house, especially not for someone in Danny's state."

"Maddie," Vlad began to protest, reaching out to stop her. She turned on him.

"What?" She crossed her arms and looked at him expectantly, eyebrows raised, mouth a thin, stern line. "Stop? Don't? You may think you're protecting Jazz and Danny by not telling them about the ghosts in this house, Mr. Masters, but in reality you're doing the exact opposite." She gestured sharply with her index finger, jabbing Vlad challengingly in the chest. "Those ghosts present a very real danger. I keep getting attacked, and Danny was seriously hurt! How long do you think you can just ignore this problem?" She pulled away, again, and narrowed her eyes. "Or do you just not care?"

Widening her eyes in forged alarm, Jazz cried, "Ghosts?! What ghosts?"

Vlad turned to glare at her, and Jazz laughed nervously and edged behind a particularly large potted plant. Then his attention returned to Maddie, who was still watching him with somewhat pessimistic anticipation.

"Maddie," he began, in his most persuasive tone. "I do care about Daniel's safety. You must believe that."

Maddie's anger seemed to falter. "I…I know," she admitted finally. "I've seen the way you are around him, and I don't doubt that you care about him." She paused, and some of her previous rancor returned. "What I'm _not_ sure about, however, is whether you care about Danny more than you care about yourself."

Vlad opened and closed his mouth several times, unable to find the words to respond to Maddie's accusation.

"M-Maddie, what do you mean?" he managed finally.

Maddie leveled a clinical gaze on him. "Why would you hide the fact that your house is haunted from people you claim to care about when you know it could put them in danger? Are you worried about the effect it would have on your image if word got out? On your company's sales, maybe?" Her mouth twisted sideways thoughtfully. "I haven't quite figured it out, yet, but I have plenty of time for that, later. Right now, I'm going to go make sure Danny is okay. Come on, Jazz." She extended a hand to the girl she couldn't recognize as her daughter, but had begun to see as a potential friend. Jazz rushed to Maddie's side, and the two girls set off down the hallway, leaving Vlad staring open-mouthed after them in horrified astonishment.

The moment they were out of Vlad's earshot, Maddie let out a long breath.

"I am fired big time," she groaned despairingly. "I can't believe I just said those things to Mr. Masters! I'm surprised he didn't go, like, completely mental on me." She turned to Jazz, bottom lip pinched between her teeth. "You know him pretty well, don't you? I can't remember much about him."

"Uh, I guess so," replied Jazz, honestly enough.

"Do you think he'll fire me?" A deep crease of concern brought Maddie's eyebrows together. Before Jazz could respond, she let out another worried huff of air. "I guess I'd deserve it, huh? After all he's done for me, and how understanding he's been about this whole accident thing." She paused thoughtfully as she realized that she still hadn't managed to wrangle an explanation out of Vlad about what exactly the infamous accident had consisted of. She waved one hand vaguely, as if trying to brush this concern away from her. It was like trying to brush over a building. If Mr. Masters fired her, where would she go? What would she do? Did she have any friends? What if her family had moved?

"Still," she continued wretchedly. "I couldn't stop myself! And I totally don't understand why he wouldn't tell you about the ghosts."

'Because he _is _the ghosts,' thought Jazz grimly, but before she could repeat this out loud, she was interrupted by the sound of Vlad's voice.

"Perhaps he simply made a mistake."

Startled, Maddie flinched and grabbed Jazz by the arm. Then, she turned slowly to face her employer, her apprehension and concern stamped plainly on her features.

"Mr. Masters," she said softly. "I'm sorry."

Vlad smiled magnanimously. "You have nothing to be sorry for, Maddie. You…are right." He spread his hands in a broad gesture of surrender. "I was wrong not to tell Jasmine and Daniel about the ghosts; I admit that. But, you see…" He stopped and shook his head. "This is something I need to discuss with you at another time, in private. Right now, we must make sure that Daniel is safe. That's the most important thing."

Maddie was puzzled about what Mr. Masters could need to tell her that he couldn't—or wouldn't—say in front of Jazz, but he did seem genuine in his acknowledgement of his mistake, so she was willing to indulge him a little. She smiled at him hesitantly, allowing him to lead her—one hand pressed surreptitiously into the small of her back—to the door of his bedroom. He fished the key out of his pocket, paused for a moment, cleared his throat loudly.

"Well," he said, his voice far above the necessary volume. "I suppose we should go inside and see if Daniel is alright." The slow, careful way he spoke these words, as if purposefully addressing some unseen eavesdropper, caused Maddie to raise an eyebrow. Vlad simply smiled in return and opened the door.

Danny was seated on the bed, rumpled sheets covering his lap and legs. He looked up as the door opened, eyes still cloudy with sleep. Maddie immediately rushed in to examine his condition.

"Danny! Are you okay?" She perched herself on the bed next to him, gentle fingers grazing the skin of his forehead as though she sought a fever.

The corners of Danny's mouth turned up into a small smile. "Yeah," he replied, somewhat sheepishly. "I have a little bit of a headache, but I'm still in one piece." The bruise-like shadows under his eyes suggested exhaustion that his hours of rest had been unable to cure, but he was obviously otherwise unharmed.

Vlad approached the bed, hands folded behind his back, an expression of concern layered thick to hide his true emotions.

"You're a very lucky boy, Daniel," he said so convincingly that it took even Danny a moment to realize that the billionaire was on the verge of a very big lie. "That little accident you caused in the lab could easily have killed you. How many times must I tell you to be more careful? You know you're not allowed to go in there without me."

Over Vlad's shoulder, Danny could see Jazz's face go from worried to suspicious to furious. Frustrated. They should've seen this coming, should've known that Vlad would try something like this. They should've been prepared with some way to refute him. But the two of them had been so focused on repairing the damage that Jazz had caused with her careless slip of the tongue; neither of them had been able to look far enough ahead to plan an explanation for Maddie's amnesia, for the ghosts, for Danny's injury. And certainly neither of them had yet been able to devise a way to bring up the truth.

But Vlad had thought ahead. Of course he had. He had probably been planning this all along. It was impossible to tell where Vlad's scheming ended and where his incredible good luck began.

Danny gritted his teeth. He would have to grind out an apology, now, one that would no doubt burn bitterly on his tongue. An apology to _Vlad._ He could already see the strain of a smug smile tugging at the edges of the older hybrid's mask of parental care and loving admonishment. Danny couldn't apologize. Even if he didn't say the specific words, he knew Vlad would take it as an apology for everything: for interfering with his initial plans to erase Maddie's memories of Danny's father, for all those battles and hateful words, for not joining him when first given the chance, for being Jack's son and not Vlad's. For being a constant, painful reminder that, while Vlad's life had remained suspended in a state of constant, ceaseless determination to right and unrightable wrong done to him over twenty years ago, Maddie had moved on without him. She had gotten married. Had children. Been happy. All things that still eluded Vlad.

And Danny refused to apologize for that. Vlad should just get over it, like a normal person. There were plenty of unrequited loves in the world. But only Vlad Masters, King of the Fruit Loops, built the Vaporizer.

'Get _over_ it,' thought Danny angrily.

Vlad frowned. "I'm glad to see you're well, Daniel, but I think, at the very least, you owe myself and Ms. Henries and apology."

To Danny's surprise, his mother turned to him and shook her head.

"You don't owe anyone a thing, Danny," she said sharply. "Mr. Masters, with all due respect, sir, you admitted your mistake. Don't you think it's time to right it?"

It took Vlad a moment to process what Maddie meant. When the implications of her words finally hit him, he had to fight back a grimace. She wanted him to apologize to Daniel. Well, that wouldn't do.

"Maddie, I—"

Maddie raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't been entirely honest with you."

For a split second, Danny believed that Vlad was about to come clean, to admit to Maddie what he had done. But that second passed quickly.

"Daniel knows about the ghosts."

"What?!" cried Maddie and Danny simultaneously.

Vlad spoke quickly, so as to finish weaving his web of lies before anyone—more specifically Danny or Jazz—could breathe a word of the truth to snap its fragile threads.

"Maddie, Daniel already knows about the ghosts—he has for quite some time. This isn't his first visit to my castle; the boy's father and I were friends in college, and Daniel comes to visit me rather frequently. However, the current visit—the first time he has visited while you were under my employ—began a little over a month ago. That is when the two of you first met. When you learned about his interest in ghosts, you offered to show him some of the experiments we were working on in the lab. The ghosts you've seen—the young boy and the rather impressive vampire-like apparition—were part of our studies. You and I had captured them hardly a week previously while on a cautionary trip into the Ghost Zone through the Ghost Portal, and we were running tests on them.

"Daniel knew how dangerous the experimental process was, how dangerous it could be if the ghosts escaped, but he convinced you to give him the security code to the lab all the same. I don't blame you, Maddie; I'm sure it was merely a momentary lapse of judgment, but it was with that code that Daniel was able to access the lab while neither of us was there to supervise him. Your accident, the accident that caused the amnesia you're experiencing now, was caused by a power surge that occurred when Daniel accidentally spilled soda on the controls of the Ghost Portal. The power went out for a full minute, which allowed the ghosts to escape the containment cells we had them in.

"When the power finally came back on, the ghosts' escape triggered the alarms, and you and I ran to the lab to see what was going on. You went to the Portal and tried to deactivate it to prevent the ghosts from escaping into the Ghost Zone, but the electricity was still unstable. You received a terrible electric shock that knocked you unconscious and caused the power to fail, again. I went to the circuit breaker and managed to get the lights back on. That, I believe, is when you came to. When I called to you, you asked me how I knew your name, and told me you didn't recognize me. After that, the ghosts came back and attacked you and Daniel." He paused. "And I believe you can recall what happened from there."

At this point, Maddie's eyes were wide with a swirling mixture of emotions that cancelled one another out so effectively as to make her seem completely lifeless. Her mouth had gotten very small, as if to compensate, most of her bottom lip disappearing between her teeth. Danny had felt his jaw drop open somewhere near the middle of Vlad's story, and still he had not found the presence of mind to shut it. Jazz looked murderous and devastated at the same time.

Vlad spoke again, his tone hushed with apology. "When I realized you had lost your memories, I was almost thankful," he said, kneeling on the floor at Maddie's side and placing a hand on her knee, covering her own hands, which were trembling uncontrollably. "I was afraid you would blame yourself for Danny's injury and the ghosts' escape."

Danny was horrified. Not only was Vlad's story, admittedly, quite believable, it put Maddie at fault for the accident that had caused her own amnesia. And how was he supposed to refute it? With all the information Vlad had just thrown at his mother, Danny knew that it would destroy her to be immediately bombarded with an equal amount of contradictory evidence. So he settled for gaping helplessly at Jazz, who looked back at him with a desperate expression. It pleaded for a solution, for an idea, and Danny, unable to offer either, tore his eyes away.

"Think, Danny" he commanded himself quietly. "_Think. _You've got to come up with a way to fix this…before Vlad comes up with a way to make it even worse."

But that was easier said than done. Danny tried to concentrate, to sweep aside the rage and panic he was feeling and _focus—_but he couldn't. He wasn't the logical one; that was Jazz, and his mother. Danny was too much like his father; rash and impulsive, running mostly on pure instinct and the impulse to do what was right.

So when Maddie tore her hands away from Vlad and his artificial words of consolation and threw her arms around Danny's neck, sobbing apologies into his hair, all the boy could do was return her embrace, hoping against all reason that if he held on tightly enough, for a sufficient amount of time, he could fix everything through sheer will power.

Unfortunately for Danny, Vlad wasn't willing to give him the chance.

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Comments and Criticisms are more than welcome! Let me know what you think! Reviews are what keep me writing.


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